RWBY x JNPR
by mtnetwarrior
Summary: "Dad... I think I need training." With those words, the fate of Jaune Arc, and possibly all of Remnant, will change forever. Rated M for later chapters. Heavy on the Arkos.
1. Chapter 1: The Nail

**I recently started reading a RWBY crossover with Devil May Cry called "Grimm May Cry" by wolf master97. It's interesting, but I think we can do a little more in line with RWBY canon. Now, keep in mind, I am not plagiarizing his work. In fact, I will be going out of my way to make this story as different as possible from his. It was merely inspired by that story. That said, there will still be references to Devil May Cry although it will not be a true crossover. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 1: The Nail

"Dad... I think I need training." Ten years ago to the day, Jaune Arc had said those words to his father, shocking his entire family. Considering how much he clung to the Arc Family and its heritage, they assumed he thought the inherent Arc strength was simply given to family members. For him to admit he needed to be trained was almost a godsend. And so, the next ten years of Jaune's life were filled with Hunstman training. Perhaps the biggest day of Jaune's life was when his father decided he was ready for his own personal weapon.

Originally Jaune had set his sights on the family heirloom, the sword Crocea Mors. But with his newfound skills, and a full understanding of his Semblance, he needed something that packed more impact. "You know Jaune," his father had said, "Some of the best Huntsmen of the modern age make their own weapons." And so, under his father's supervision, Jaune began brainstorming weapon ideas. He still had his sights set on some type of sword, but he knew he needed something for long range as well.

First thing he took into consideration was his Semblance. It allowed him to project a "ghost" hand that could hold any object in place no matter how heavy. It was a bit unwieldy unless focused, so Jaune decided to start with some sort of gauntlet that could take advantage of his boundless Aura to focus it. He eventually settled on a design that resembled the Semblance's manifestation, which he called Grimmlock. For the gun, he decided a simple revolver design would be a good base, but it would be considerably modified.

For starters, it could work with Grimmlock to fire concentrated bursts of his own Aura in addition to Dust shells, perhaps even allow him to charge his Aura shots. With this in mind, he decided to give it two barrels for coolness factor. With the design complete, he decided to call it the Azure Fang. Then, Jaune finally got a brainstorm for his sword when he caught a glimpse of his father's motorcycle. Soon, he had designed a single-edge broadsword with a throttle-like device that could infuse the blade with various Dust types. His final weapon, the Roseus Ignis, was complete.

* * *

A few days later, Jaune was putting the finishing touches on his trio of weapons. While finding the right way to realize his vision wasn't easy, he still accomplished it. He was now finishing up the calibration on Azure Fang when the holonet came in with an news flash. Apparently,. Yet another Dust store had suffered through a robbery, but this time the robbery was less than successful thanks to the efforts of an unknown student and the notable Huntress Glynda Goodwitch, one of the teachers at Beacon Academy.

 _'That reminds me,'_ Jaune thought as he finished his calibrations, _'Mom said she was working on getting me enrolled at that academy. Wonder if I'll meet that student. Who knows? I'm just glad I took the time to get trained first, otherwise I'd have had to do something stupid like fake my way in. That would have caused all kinds of problems.'_ He still remembered the nightmare he had ten years prior on the night before he asked to be trained as a Huntsman. He hadn't had it since, but it had been so vivid. It all culminated in some girl, who he was sure he had a crush on, getting killed.

But that was the world of dreams. He was sure there was no real significance to it. "Finally," he said once he finished calibrating Azure Fang. The gun had a special feature that let it work with Grimmlock, which went on his right hand. When he held the gun in his right hand, he could fire Aura shots due to a special mechanism that opened a hidden hatch for Aura infusion. Otherwise it would just fire Dust shells. While both were of equal power, Jaune could fire Aura shots endlessly and charge the shots. He held Azure Fang in his right hand then picked up Roseus Ignis with his right and did a pose in the mirror.

Compared to his badass weapons, his standard street clothes covered with a simple breastplate looked kinda goofy. He wondered if he should just forego the armor altogether and keep his hoodie open. His strong aura meant he didn't really need armor anyway. As he was thinking this, his mother came in. "I have good news sweetie!," she said, "You've officially been accepted into Beacon! Also, I got you something that might work more with your choice of weapon." She showed Jaune a brand new hoodie, which was slightly longer and had a fur lined hood.

Jaune took the hoodie and removed his old one plus the armor. He then tried on the new hoodie and did the same pose, really liking the new effect. "Oh yeah! Now this can work! I almost look like a hero in a video game!" His mother clapped in approval. "Excellent! Now you'd better get ready, school will be started in a few days." Jaune nodded, then headed up to his room to pack. _'Finally, I can become a Huntsman worthy of the Arc name. So look out Grimm and bad guys, cause Jaune Arc is hitting the scene!'_

* * *

Unfortunately, there was one weakness Jaune still had some minor trouble overcoming. He still had a tendency to get air sick. He finally remembered once the drop ship carrying students to Beacon was well on its way. Luckily, all those years of training helped him keep it down long enough to reach the bathroom before he upchucked his breakfast, but it was still loud enough for everyone else to hear, including a certain pair of red and yellow sisters. "This is gonna be a long year," the older one said, shaking her head.

To be continued...

 **So yeah, there you have it. I started making Jaune badass, without removing his comic relief status entirely. And I hope Rooster Teeth gets the chance to read this because I'm gonna show you how to make a bleak and unforgiving world without letting the meter on the scale of Idealism versus Cynicism get too far down Cynicism. Rather than get into a rant, I'm spreading this out down the next few chapters. Read and review.**


	2. Chapter 2: Academy Introduction

**I kinda lost my train for my rant with all the new followers for this story, but my point is for a story meant to show great hope in the face of a hostile world, Rooster Teeth dropped the ball. If this was Monty Oum's original idea, he was more screwed up than we thought. If not, then... WHAT THE HELL MILES LUNA AND KERRY SHAWCROSS!? Miles especially since Jaune Arc is a character he voices, so it almost comes off as self-torture in a way. But enough of that, we have a story to get to. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 2: Academy Introduction

 _'Well,'_ Jaune thought as he got off the drop ship, _'I can think of worse first impressions to make. At least no one got puked on. That would have been a disaster.'_ He shook his head as he looked at the brochure for the academy. Students were supposed to meet for orientation in the main hall, but there was no map for the place. He thought about asking someone, but he saw only students who probably didn't know any more than him. He was getting some awed looks, however, so it wasn't so bad. As he looked around, he heard what seemed to be a massive explosion.

Rushing towards the sound to see if anyone needed help, he found an awkward scene where some girl in red was being berated by another girl in white, who in turn was being passively insulted by another girl in black. For a second, Jaune thought he saw the bow the girl in black was wearing move, even though there was no wind. The girl in white ran off in a huff, and Jaune realized it was the famed heiress Weiss Schnee. He had been to one of her concerts a few months ago and thought she was lovely, but her present attitude was quickly turning him off.

Seeing the girl in red still sitting dazed on the ground, Jaune walked up to her and asked, "Need a hand?" The girl excepted and then asked, "Hey, aren't you the guy we heard throwing up in the bathroom on the ship?" Jaune chuckled weakly. "Well... Better in the bathroom than on the deck..." The girl giggled at that. The two began walking towards the front entrance. The girl, now introduced as Ruby Rose, explained that she had been moved forward a few years after helping stop a Dust robbery. "Oh, so that was you on the news," Jaune said, "You must be quite the prodigy."

"I guess so," Ruby replied, "I was taught quite a bit by my uncle. He even helped me build my own weapon." She unveiled the red device on her back, which unfolded into a giant mechanical scythe. "Wow!," Jaune said, impressed, "Your weapon is a scythe!" Ruby nodded. "It's also a customizable high impact sniper rifle." Jaune looked confused for a second before Ruby chambered her weapon. "It's also a gun." "Ah," Jaune said. He then removed Roseus Ignis from the magnetic hilt hidden by his hoodie. "I have this."

Ruby's eyes lit up as she eyed the giant sword. "Wow! That looks so cool! How does it work!? Does it shoot lasers!? Can you ride around on it!?" Jaune chuckled as he shook his head. "No. I simply turn the throttle here and it infuses the blade with Dust. I call it... The Roseus Ignis!" Ruby's eyes seemed to sparkle as she eyed the blade. She then noticed Jaune's Azure Fang and Grimmlock. "Wow! You also have a revolver and gauntlet!" Jaune nodded. "Yep." He pulled out Azure Fang. "This beauty, which I call Azure Fang, was designed to fire concentrated Aura bursts in addition to Dust shells."

"Wow!," Ruby said, "It's like you're a walking armory!" She then realized something. "Say, where do we go for orienteering?" Jaune shrugged. "Honestly, I was just following you." Luckily, they had just stopped in front of the main hall's entrance. Once inside, Ruby spotted a girl in yellow who she quickly ran up to, calling out, "Yang, you ditched me!" Now back by himself, Jaune sighed. "Great, now where am I gonna find a nice, quirky girl to talk to." He walked toward the front of the hall, not realizing a certain red-haired girl was staring after him.

Soon enough Jaune wound up catching up to RWBY, who had run into Weiss yet again. He caught a snippet of their conversation. Weiss was saying something sarcastic. "Yeah, and we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys like tall, blonde and..." She did a double take at Jaune, who she was clearly talking about. "Admittedly badass looking...," she resigned. Jaune just smirked at her. After a quick speech by the academy's headmaster, Professor Ozpin, the new students were all gathered together a group sleep.

* * *

Yang Xiao Long, who was Ruby's sister, was now in her pajamas and flopping on her sleeping bag. "It's like a big sleep-over," she said excitedly. Ruby scoffed. "Pretty sure Dad wouldn't approve of all the boys though." Yang, who was eyeing several of they guys walking around in just shorts, said, "I know I do." She spotted Jaune again, and noticed how ripped he was. "Hubba hubba. The girl he winds up snaring will be one lucky lady." Jaune hadn't noticed Yang eyeing him, instead having taken up a spot next to a young man with black hair. Next to him was a young girl with bright orangish hair. "This spot open?," Jaune asked. The man nodded. "Nice to meet you. I'm Lie Ren. This is my friend Nora Valkyrie."

He pointed to the sleeping girl. "I'm glad she decided to get some sleep. Girl's too hyper for her own good." Jaune smirked. "I'm Jaune Arc. So, any idea what they'll be doing for partner selection?" "Nope," Ren said as he shook his head, "Though I hope me and Nora will be become partnered. I think she'd go berserk if it went any other way." Nearby, the girl in black, Blake Belladonna, observed Jaune and noted something. _'Why do I get an odd feeling about that kid? Like he's stronger than he should be?'_ She soon had other things on her mind, however, when she spotted Yang dragging Ruby over to her.

To be continued...

 **Yeah, I kinda squashed the two parts of a single episode together, but that should really be no surprise. Things will really get going soon. Read and review.**


	3. Chapter 3: Journey of a Thousand Miles

**Next chapter in the story. I'll try to get as many other points of view as I can from now on since Jaune's new personality will be causing some considerable changes. Also, to everyone who criticizes my writing style... DON'T! This is the way I write, it's the way I'm comfortable with, and I'd like to think it's still easy to read and understand. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 3: Journey of a Thousand Miles

"Wake up sleepyhead," came Nora's voice as Ren started to open his eyes. He noted that Jaune had already woken up and headed for the bathrooms. Ren went through his usual routine as Nora talked about whatever was on her mind, including her usual insistence that they weren't "together-together". _'It always feels like she's trying to convince herself more than me. If this keeps up I'll have to be the one to take the first step.'_ Ren did love Nora, despite her quirkiness, but she didn't seem to realize that for whatever reason. And he knew full well how she felt about him.

Finally, Nora got around to discussing how partners would be selected and how they could insure they were partnered up. As Ren holstered his StormFlower in his sleaves, he gently said, "Nora." Nora, finally stopping to catch her breath, asked, "Yeah, Ren?" "I don't think sloths make any kind of noise." Nora actually stayed silent for a few seconds as she thought before saying, "That's why it's perfect!" Ren smiled as he shook his head while Nora kept rambling. He then spotted Jaune getting his weapons from his locker. "So," Jaune said, "This is what she's like when she's awake, huh?"

Ren nodded. "Thankfully she's not always so hyper. I've gotten used to it over time. So, who do you think you want for your partner?" Jaune thought for a moment, then spotted a gorgeous red-haired woman talking with Weiss. "I may just have someone in mind." He went over to talk to the girl, passing Ruby and Yang as he did. The two had been discussing the upcoming initiation, with Yang again insisting Ruby needed to make some real friends in order to grow up. Ruby's rebuttal was somewhat childish. "I don't need friends to grow up. I drink milk."

Jaune chuckled as he approached Weiss and the other girl. "Hello there. I'm Jaune Arc. And you would be...?" The girl was about to introduce herself when Weiss interrupted. "Are you serious? Are you so unlearned you don't know who this woman is?" "Not really," Jaune said, as if it was obvious he wouldn't know, "I mean, that's why I went to the trouble of asking her name." Weiss sighed with incredulity. "This is Pyrrha Nikos. She graduated top of her class at Sanctum."

Jaune shrugged. "Sorry, home schooled. Don't know many schools other than Beacon." Weiss scoffed. "She's won the Mistral regional tournament four years in a row. A new record." "I don't keep up with sporting events," Jaune said matter-of-factly, not realizing he was really getting Pyrrha's attention. Weiss, now really losing her patient, belted out, "She's on the cover of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!" Jaune gasped in surprise. "Wait, that's you!? Wow, they only do that with athletes and cartoon characters." Pyrrha chuckled in embarrassment. "Yeah, it was a great honor."

"Too bad it's not that good of a cereal...," Jaune noted, causing Pyrrha to sigh with relief. "Thank you. I really hated doing that commercial, that stuff tastes awful." The next thing Weiss knew, Jaune and Pyrrha were walking off together while talking. To add insult to injury, Pyrrha then hooked her arm around Jaune's. "Wow," came Yang's voice, "I wish I'd brought my camera, the look on your face is priceless." "How!?," Weiss demanded, "How does a nobody like him snag a prime potential partner like Pyrrha Nikos!?" Yang chuckled. "Well, I think the fact that they seemed to connect in a way that didn't involve Pyrrha's celebrity status helped." Weiss just sighed.

* * *

Shortly thereafter, the first-year students were standing not far from a steep cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest. Each of them was standing on a metal plate that gave Jaune a bad feeling. Overseeing the group was Glynda and Ozpin, who was instructing the students. "You have no doubt had questions regarding how you will receive your partners. Well, let me answer all those questions in one fell swoop. You will be assigned your partners... Today." Jaune heard Ruby mutter, "What?" There was a hint of fear in her voice.

Ozpin continued, "These partners will be with you for your entire time here at Beacon, so it will be in your best interest to pair up with someone with whom you can work well." The panic in Ruby's voice was evident as Ozpin finished. "That said, the first person with whom you make eye contact with when you reach the bottom of the cliff will be your partner for the next four years." "WHAT!?," Ruby squeaked out. Jaune just shook his head as Nora uttered, "I told you." Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "Once you have found your partner make your way to the north end of the forest."

His eyes turned ominous. "You will meet opposition along the way, so do not hesitate to destroy any creature that gets in your path or you will die... Our staff will monitor your progress, but will not intervene. At the edge of the forest you will find an abandoned temple holding several relics. You and your partner must choose one and return to the top of the cliff with that relic. The relic you choose, and your standing, will determine your grade. Any questions?" "Just one," Jaune said, "How are we getting down the cliff in the first place?"

"Simple," Ozpin said, "The plate you are standing on will be launching you into the forest. From there you must come up with your own landing strategy." Jaune sighed as he muttered, "I should have known flying would be involved..." He nonetheless readied himself, along with the other students, as one by one the launchers fired, sending the students sailing through the air. Jaune didn't have much time to think, so he simply went with what he knew and launched his Semblance at the nearest and largest tree. The claws of his Semblance slowed him down as he spiraled around the tree and landed safely on the ground.

The other students were also using their available skills to land safely. Ruby fired off her Crescent Rose to slow her down a little before using the scythe to snag a tree branch. Weiss leapt off several of her glyphs at lower and lower intervals. Ren's landing was much like Jaune's only using StormFlower. Yang propelled herself further and further using her Ember Celica until she reached a thick part of the forest, after which she simply bounced off a few tree trunks until she hit the ground running. "Nailed it..." Pyrrha crashed through the trees holding out her shield Akouo before landing on a tree branch.

She looked around while aiming her Milo before she heard Jaune clear his throat. She looked down to see him right below her, causing her to blush since he had a good view right up her skirt. She leapt down right into his waiting arms. "Looks like we got partnered," he said. "Yes," she said, smiling. Meanwhile, Ruby had managed to land and raced through the forest calling for Yang. When it seemed her sister was nowhere around, she thought to herself, _'What if I can't find her? What if someone finds her first? There's always Jaune. He's nice. He's funny. He's seems pretty tough too. But then again he seems more set on Pyrrha.'_

Ruby kept racing as she thought of other people she might want to team up with. _'What about Blake? So mysterious, so calm. Plus she likes books. But then again, my personality might be a bit much for her. Let's see, is there anyone else I know?'_ Sensing someone ahead, Ruby quickly skidded to a halt, and realized she had nearly run into Weiss. Weiss had a blank look on her face, since she had not yet found anyone else other than Ruby. And Ruby looked like she wasn't with anyone either. Sensing no one else around, she gave a reserved sigh. "This doesn't make us friends...," she said as she dragged Ruby along.

After a while, Ruby was able to release herself from Weiss. "What's with the sour attitude? We're supposed to be partners here." "Look," Weiss replied, "I'll admit I'm not perfect, not yet at least, but I'm still leagues above you." Ruby couldn't help but stare. "Wow, is everyone in your family like this?" The question seemed to shake something inside Weiss, who quickly shook her head. "Sorry, that came out wrong. The point is I don't want you slowing me down." "Don't worry," Ruby said with a smile, "I'm not slow at all." Just then, they heard a growling sound and saw several pairs of eyes all around them. "Well," Weiss said as she got out Myrtenaster, "Here's your chance to prove it."

To be continued...

 **Yay cliffhangers. Yeah you'll be noticing some minor changes occurring with character interactions as the story goes on. I won't spoil why, but the answer will come eventually. Read and review.**


	4. Chapter 4: Forest Exploration

**I'd like to set the record straight about something. The weapons Jaune is using are not Nero's weapons. They are Jaune's weapons. They may be based off Nero's weapons, but are fundamentally different (for example, Nero's right hand is that of a demon, while for Jaune it is simply covered by a clawed gauntlet). You guys want a story where Jaune is essentially Nero, read "Grimm May Cry", the story that inspired this one. Here, Jaune is still Jaune just more mature and better trained. Also, this will not be a harem fic, sorry. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 4: Forest Exploration

Yang had finally taken a stop to catch her breath and see if she couldn't find her sister. When she heard something rustling through the bushes, she peeked through them saying, "Ruby, is that you?" Upon hearing a growling sound she uttered, "Nope." Backing off as a dangerous Ursa, a bear-like Grimm, attacked, she readied her Ember Celica. A second Ursa soon showed up, but Yang was able to blast it back with a quick shot. After knocking down the first one, she quipped, "You guys wouldn't happen to have seen a little girl in a red hood, would you?"

Rather than answer, one of the Ursa tried to take a swipe at her. "I'll take that as a no," Yang said as she fired off a few shots. Backing away from another quick swipe, she smirked. "Jeez, you guys couldn't hit the broadside of a b-" She stopped when she saw a strand of her own hair fall to the ground. If there was one thing Yang hated, it was people messing with her hair. The Ursa looked at each other in confusion as Yang seemed to just explode with energy.

In a massive flurry, she took down one of the Ursa, killing it before sending it crashing through the trees. As she turned to face the second one, there was a quick sound of something thunking into its back, causing it to fall over dead. As Yang calmed down, she spotted Blake behind the now-dead Grimm, having struck it with her Gambol Shroud. Blake smirked at Yang, who quipped, "I could have taken him." "Maybe," Blake said, "But I thought I might as well help. Anyway you're the first one I've seen since landing." Yang shrugged. "Same here. Guess we're partners then. Hope Ruby won't be too upset."

* * *

At that moment, Ruby was upset, but not by losing her chance to be partnered with her sister. She and Weiss were now staring down a whole pack of Beowolves, wolf-like Grimm. "Tell me you've at least had some training," Weiss said. "Oh yeah," Ruby said, "Plus I've dealt with a pack like this before. Just a few weeks ago some Beowolves ambushed me as I was coming home from my mom's grave." Weiss looked back at her partner with some concern. "I'll... Ask about that part later... For now we must deal with this threat."

They each took one side of the pack, and Ruby took the time to observe Weiss in between strikes so as to better work with her. Weiss must have been doing the same because it wasn't long before their fights got intermixed. Although it was a little clumsy, it wasn't long before they forced the pack leader to call a retreat. The two girls took a second to catch their breath. "Well," Weiss noted, "I don't know who trained you, but they clearly knew what they were doing. Now, we'd better find that temple." Ruby nodded. "It was supposed to be to the north, right? Which way is that from here?" They looked at each other as they realized they had no way to tell directions.

* * *

Elsewhere, Pyrrha and Jaune were walking in what Jaune assumed was northbound when they heard gunshots. "Well, Ozpin did say there would be trouble in this forest. Must be rife with Grimm." "Yes," Pyrrha said, "And it seems some of the others have begun to encounter them. I hope everyone will be alright." Jaune shrugged. "I wouldn't worry. Put it this way, would the faculty put us in this situation if they felt we couldn't survive it? We're quite a distance from Vale proper and most of the Grimm who dwell out here are still at an instinctive level."

Pyrrha nodded and the two kept moving. At one point, Pyrrha pushed a tree branch out of her way, then whirled around as she heard it snap. But the only thing behind her was Jaune, who looked confused. "What's with the jumpiness? You'd think the moon was about to crash into Remnant." Pyrrha breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry. I've been trained as a warrior my whole life. It's left me in a state of hyper-alertness." She then looked at the broken branch, and noted Jaune didn't seem to have a scratch on him. "Amazing. Even with one's Aura this should have caused you to flinch, yet you seem unmoved."

Jaune just smiled. "Well, I've always had more Aura than most people. Ever since I started learning under my father ten years ago I've been able to brush aside most casual injuries. As for getting attacked... Well, I'd be lying if I said nothing could make me so much as flinch. But my Aura is so durable it just seems to heal almost instantly. I've even been able to weaponize it via Azure Fang." Pyrrha was standing there is awe. This man was just talking about his abilities, not with any sense of pride, but as if they were normal. "Hello?," Jaune asked, "Remnant to Pyrrha Nikos." Pyrrha mentally shook herself. "Sorry... Let's keep moving."

* * *

Back at the cliff, Glynda and Ozpin watched as Ren successfully defeated a King Taijitu, a snake-like Grimm, and shortly thereafter was paired off with Nora. "That's our last pair for this year," Glynda noted, "Though I can't possibly imagine Lie Ren getting along with a girl like Nora Valkyrie." "Then you don't have much of an imagination," Ozpin noted with amusement, "Those two have been together for many years now." "If you say so," Glynda said with a nod, "At least not all the pairs are so mismatched. Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos have also been paired up. Perhaps that boy's home-schooling and personality will help ground Miss Nikos."

"I hope so," Ozpin said, "Perhaps this time things will work out..." Glynda looked at the headmaster with confusion, but brushed it off as more of his eccentric nature. "Anyway, at the pace the students are going they should reach the temple within minutes. If I may ask sir, what did you use for the relics this year?" "I decided to go with something thematic," Ozpin said, "Something that could accurately represent what our students are in relation to society. Oddly enough, the inspiration came to me during a game I was playing with an old friend." Glynda looked curious.

* * *

"Great," Weiss said incredulously, "Just great! We're lost! We're lost in the forest with no way of knowing where to go!" "It can't be that hard to find our way," Ruby noted, "I can still see the cliff we got launched from, so we at least have a point of reference." Weiss sighed. "Well, at least we're not totally lost. But returning to the cliff base to get our bearings is just going to waste time. Any ideas?" Ruby thought for a minute. "Well, I learned in elementary school that the sun always rises in east and sets in the west. And when you face north west is to your left and east is your right. So maybe..." But before Ruby could continue, the two girls heard a loud squawking.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jaune and Pyrrha had found their way to a small cave. Pyrrha was reluctant to go inside, but Jaune was curious to see if it might hold clues to where the temple was. Crafting a makeshift torch, he led his partner inside. "Are we sure this is good idea?," Pyrrha asked nervously. "Put it this way," Jaune said, "It's a Huntsman's job to take risks. After all, we put our lives on the line to fight Grimm, right?" At that moment, he wound up tripping, dropping the torch into a puddle. "Great," he muttered. Then both of them felt a dark presence.

"You feel that?," Pyrrha asked. "The feeling that we're not alone in here?," Jaune replied, "I think it might be a good idea to get back outside." The two of them retreated back to the cave entrance as they heard something stomping behind them. Once outside, the mysterious creature burst from the cave, revealing itself to be a Death Stalker, a scorpion-like Grimm. Before either of the two warriors could move, the Death Stalker swung its tail and sent Jaune flying across the forest. Pyrrha, smiling nervously, quickly ran in the same direction.

* * *

At around the same time, Yang and Blake found themselves at what looked like the ruins of an altar. "Think this is it?," Yang asked. Blake gave a nod, and the two of them jumped down to where the altar was. Sure enough, the altar was surrounded by twenty-four pedestals, which seemed to have been placed recently, most of them with an item on top. Blake regarded the relics, which looked very familiar. "Chess pieces?" "Some of them are missing," Yang noted, "We're not the first ones here."

She looked over the pieces before picking up one of the gold knight pieces. "How about a cute little pony?" "Sure," Blake replied with amusement, "Now we just need to get back to the cliff." Just then, they both heard a loud yelling. "That sounds like Jaune," Yang said, "He must be in trouble. What should we do Blake?" But Blake was more concerned with another yelling sound. Much to her bewilderment, she looked up to see Ruby falling from the sky yelling, "Heads up!"

To be continued...

 **And more cliffhangers. There's still a mystery I have yet to solve which I'll get into next chapter. Read and review.**


	5. Chapter 5: The New Teams

**The next chapter is ready. Your praise is glorious! Seriously I'm getting favorited up the wazoo. Of course we all know the battle coming up. For the most part it will be the same, baring some changes in detail. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 5: The New Teams

High up in the air, Weiss yelled out, "How in Remnant did we wind up in this situation!?" "Got me!," Ruby responded, "I mean one minute we're trying to find our way through the forest, the next we're on the back of a giant Nevermore!" The Nevermore, a raven-like Grimm, didn't seem to regard its unwilling passengers. "How are we going to get out of this one!?," Weiss asked. "We'll be fine!," Ruby said, "Let's just jump off!" Weiss looked shocked. "Tell me you're joking!" But Ruby was already gone. "You have got to be kidding me!"

* * *

Back at the temple, Blake was pointing out Ruby falling from the sky, only to get intercepted by Jaune, still flying from being smacked away by the Death Stalker. The two crashed into a nearby tree, leaving Ruby seeing stars. "What was that...?," she muttered. Shaking herself, she spotted Jaune hanging upside-down not far from her. "Hey Ruby. Fancy bumping into you. Literally." Back on the ground, a confused Blake asked, "Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Before Yang could answer, a crashing sound was heard from a nearby bush.

Out burst a flailing Ursa, who fell over when seemingly hit by a pink explosion. Nora could be seen rolling off its back. After straightening herself up, she muttered, "Aw... It's broken..." As she examined the fallen Grimm, Ren soon caught up to her. "Nora...," he muttered, clearly out of breath, "Please... Don't do that again..." But Nora had already spotted the temple and zoomed over to it. She regarded the gold rook piece before grabbing it, calling out, "I'm queen of the castle. I'm queen of the castle." She then went back over to Ren as Blake, still shocked, asked, "Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?"

But the craziness wasn't over yet. At that moment Pyrrha, still being chased by the Death Stalker, came rushing into the clearing where the temple was. Spotting her partner, she called out, "Jaune!" Hearing his name called out, Jaune responded, "Pyrrha!" Ruby jumped down to the temple, where she was met with a call of, "Ruby?" Seeing her sister, Ruby cheerfully responded with, "Yang!" But before they could hug, Nora interrupted with, "Nora!" Blake, still regarding Pyrrha's race, asked, "Did she run all the way here with a Death Stalker on her tail?"

Now at the end of her rope, Yang belted out, "I can't take this anymore! Can everyone just calm down for two seconds before something crazy happens again!?" As if taking her words literally, two seconds later Ruby got her sister's attention and pointed to the sky, making Yang give a resigned sigh. Weiss was now holding onto the talon of the Nevermore, still circling the temple. "How could you leave me!?," Weiss called out. "I said jump!," Ruby yelled back. "She's gonna fall," Blake noted. "She's fine," Ruby dismissed. "She's falling...," Ren retorted.

Jaune, spotting the falling heiress, quickly reached out with his Semblance, grabbing Weiss in midair. He then jumped down from the tree he was in and gently placed Weiss on the ground. After a quick sigh of relief, she said, "Thanks. I was actually scared for a second there." Meanwhile, Pyrrha had finally gotten enough distance between her and the Death Stalker that she allowed herself to flop on the ground to catch her breath. "Great," Yang noted, "The gang's all here. Now we can die together." "Please tell me you're joking," Pyrrha said as she got up.

The two Grimm closed in on the group, prompting them to scatter. Ruby got her cape stuck when the Nevermore launched its feathers on the ground, but Jaune was able to help the situation by slashing the feather pinning Ruby's cape. The Death Stalker chose that moment to barrel in on both of them, but Weiss was able to stop it using a massive freezing attack from her Myrtenaster. "That should make us even," she said to Jaune. Then she turned to Ruby. "You okay?" "Yeah," Ruby said, "Thanks for the save." Weiss smirked. "We are partners, after all."

The eight students regrouped back at the altar. "Uh oh, guys," Jaune said, "Big Bird is starting to circle back. Now what?" "Well we shouldn't stick around here when our objective is right in front of us," Weiss noted. Ruby nodded. "She's right. We're only supposed to collect the relic and return to the cliff. There's no point fighting these things." Everyone else nodded. Ruby then grabbed the second gold knight, while Jaune grabbed the second gold rook. They then hurried through the ruins until they spotted the cliff they started at.

Unfortunately, the Nevermore got ahead of them and situated itself at the base of the cliff. The students split off into their individual partners and hid behind a few columns. "Great," Yang muttered. To make things worse, the Death Stalker, now free from the ice, crashed through the underbrush behind them. "Looks like our new friends are forcing the issue," Jaune said, "To be fair, Ozpin did say we had to ready to take down any obstacle that got in our way." The students quickly made their way towards the bridge with Nora using her Magnhild to distract the Nevermore.

As the Death Stalker came up behind her, its attack was countered by Blake and Ren as Weiss got her out of the way. Pyrrha and Jaune then used Milo and Azure Fang to stall the Grimm as the others ran across the bridge before racing across themselves. Just as they were halfway across, the Nevermore flew right into the bridge, nearly destroying it. Jaune, Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Nora wound up on the side closest to the cliff, leaving Pyrrha, Ren, and Blake stranded with the Death Stalker. "Nora!," he called out, "We need to get over there!"

Nora grinned as she switched Magnhild to its hammer form and slammed down on the broken edge of the bridge, sending her and Jaune sailing to the other side. Thinking quickly, Jaune got out Roseus Ignis and jabbed it point first into the Death Stalker's head. Nora soon followed, using Magnhild to literally hammer the sword further inside. As the Grimm thrashed around in pain, both students retrieved their weapons and backed off, Nora knocking Blake off the bridge.

Luckily, Blake was able to use her Gambol Shroud to reach the other side and start striking at the Nevermore before leaping off and rejoining the other three girls. Standing on top of a gazebo, the four of them fired at the flying Grimm trying to bring it down. While it was clear they were hurting it, it only seemed to make the monster madder as it crash into the gazebo. The girls quickly leapt off and through the ruins to get to more solid ground. "None of this is working," Weiss noted, "We need a better strategy." Ruby took a quick look around and noted Blake and Yang's weapons. "I think I have plan. Cover me."

Meanwhile, the Death Stalker sunk its tail into the bridge in an effort to destroy what was left of it. Jaune fired a charge shot from Azure Fang while Nora blasted the Grimm with Magnhild, causing the beast to pull back its tail. Pyrrha then threw Milo right into one of its eyes, causing it to back up. Ren then leapt onto the tail and fired StormFlower into the stinger joint. The Death Stalker flung Ren off, but Jaune used his Semblance to catch him before he could hit anything. Jaune then noticed Ren had done enough damage that the stinger was hanging loose. He looked at Pyrrha, who nodded and threw Akouo at the stinger.

Sure enough, that attack was enough to dislodge the stinger and send it right into the hole in the Death Stalker's armor. "Nora, nail it!," Jaune called out as he hit a switch on Grimmlock, which would allow his Semblance to temporarily run wild. Nora leapt above Jaune, his Semblance now acting like a giant reflective shield which launched Nora further into the air, letting her bring Magnhild down on the stinger, killing the Death Stalker once and for all. As it did, it crashed into the bridge in such a way that Jaune and Pyrrha got launched to more solid ground, soon joined by Nora and Ren.

Back on the other side of the ravine, Yang had leapt at the Nevermore, using her body to hold open its beak while she fired Ember Celica into its mouth. This caused the giant bird to lose control and crash into the cliff-side, while Yang leapt off and landed on the bridge. She then spotted the other three girls positioned amongst the remains of the gazebo and realized what her sister must have planned. She raced over to them while Weiss raced towards the Nevermore and froze its tail to the cliff, preventing it from flying away. Blake then launched Gambol Shroud between two columns, placing herself at one while Yang grabbed the weapon and dug it into the other.

Ruby then opened Crescent Rose and leapt into the ribbon part of Gambol Shroud, pulled back by one of Weiss' glyphs. "Of course you would come up with a crazy idea like this," Weiss noted as she held the glyph in place. Ruby just replied with, "Think you can make the shot?" Weiss scoffed and grinned. "Can I." Ruby smirked as Weiss launched her at the Nevermore, landing in such a way that the blade of her scythe rested against the monster's neck. Weiss then created more glyphs up the cliff, allowing Ruby to start racing up it. As she got to the top, she started firing Crescent Rose, finally leaping up the top of the cliff so hard she decapitated the Nevermore.

Down below, the other four students had seen the whole thing. "Wow...," Jaune muttered, "That was pretty awesome." As the girls recovered, Yang noted, "Well... That was a thing." Nearby, Ozpin and Glynda had also seen the aftermath of Ruby's crazy idea. "I knew that girl had a penchant for dangerous stunts," Glynda noted, "But that just bordered on insane. Then again, she did say she was trained by Qrow." Ozpin grinned as he sipped his coffee. "I see some things will never change," he muttered to himself. He then said to Glynda, "I believe that is the last of the students to retrieve their relic. I'm certainly pleased to see there were no fatalities."

* * *

That night, in a grand ceremony, the students were formed into teams of four. During the initiation, a student was paired up with the first available student they locked eyes with. Then, pairs that retrieved identical relics were grouped into the same team. The ceremony was winding down as Ozpin began announcing the last three teams. "Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Russel Thrush, Sky Lark. You four retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forth you shall be known as Team CRDL, lead by Cardin Winchester." The four burly young men gave a bow and were escorted away.

Next up came Jaune and hs new friends. Ozpin regarded them with a smile. "Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos. You four retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forth you shall be known as Team JNPR, lead by Jaune Arc." Jaune looked a little surprised. In spite of his skill he never really saw himself leading a team. Pyrrha gave him a friendly jab in the shoulder as congratulations, and the four of them were ushered elsewhere. Ozpin then regarded the four girls with a warm smile. "And finally, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forth you shall be known as Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose."

Both Weiss and Ruby were surprised at the declaration. Weiss was a little upset, but had to acknowledge that it was Ruby's quick thinking and ingenuity that helped them defeat the Nevermore. Ruby, still a little stunned, found herself hugged by Yang, who was understandably excited for her sister. Adjusting his glasses and smiling, Ozpin commented, "Things are certainly shaping up to be an interesting year. I hope all our upperclassman will treat our new teams well as they continue their journey to become Huntsmen and Huntresses."

* * *

Cinder Fall sat on the outskirts of Vale when she spotted a Seer, a jellyfish-like Grimm, approach her. That could only mean one thing. Her master, Salem, wanted to speak with her. _'But so soon? Our plans have barely begun.'_ The Seer shimmered until Salem pure white visage appeared. 'Cinder, my student, there is a minor issue we must discuss. And before you ask... No, I have sensed that our plans are so far still on schedule.' "That is good to hear," Cinder replied, "But you would not have risked contacting me unless you felt something is amiss."

'Indeed,' Salem said with a nod, 'My Seers have secretly been observing the initiations for the new students in each academy. For the record, I must acknowledge the potential they wield, but that is all the more reason why our plans cannot fail. That said, certain events in Vale appear to be off. I cannot truly put what I am feeling into words. It is as if... As if time has rewound itself and done things slightly differently, but I cannot quite place how. I will be attempting to pinpoint the source of my feeling, but I felt it necessary to warn you in the meantime.'

"Should I have my forces deal with the source should you find it?," Cinder asked. Salem gently shook her head. 'No my child. Changes in time are like ripples in a pond, and I feel the ripples are not big enough as to be intrusive to our plans. Also there is no way to know if they will be intrusive. Any action on our part to snuff out a potential threat the instant we spot the center of the ripple would not only insure our defeat, but hasten it. We would wind up exposing ourselves to the four kingdoms causing them to unite against us. And right now we are in no position to oppose that sort of force."

Cinder closed her solemnly. "I understand Master. Forgive me, I thought perhaps this might be a chance to gain that which I desire." Salem favored Cinder with a warm smile. 'I know. But have patience. By the time our plans are complete, you will feel whole once again. Continue with your operations for now. Hopefully I can identify the cause of these disturbances before our planned invasion.' And with that, Seer cut communications and floated off. Cinder stood up and thought about the situation. She knew better than to go against her Master's wishes, and she was patient enough to wait until it was truly necessary to stop a potential threat.

 _'Still... Why do I get the feeling that if we do not act as soon the disturbance is identified, it will end badly for us? I trust Salem enough to believe she knows what is best, yet I can't stop a feeling of dread from rising within me.'_ She decided to pass the warning on to her associates. Adam Taurus and Emerald Sustrai would certainly take the warning seriously. On the other hand Roman Torchwick, and possibly Mercury Black, would dismiss it instantly. On the other hand, Roman was only siding with them because Salem had managed to convince him that their plans were foolproof. If he thought for even a second that something could disrupt them, he'd leave on the spot, and nothing short of his death would make him change his mind. Regardless, Cinder looked to the moon in worry, no longer certain of her future.

To be continued...

 **Whatever's happening, it's got the bad guys' attention, hence revealing Salem early. This will make things interesting further down the road as our two heroic continue their journey. Read and review.**


	6. Chapter 6: First Lessons

**It took me a while to find what I wanted to do for this chapter. I try to maintain a one-thousand word minimum for each chapter, and that includes author's notes. Not always easy. There's going to be some major changes as the chapters progress. Some of them you may have already guessed. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 6: First Lessons

Exhausted from their ordeal in the Emerald Forest, the newly formed Team JNPR got themselves ready for bed. Pyrrha and Nora headed for the bathroom to freshen up while Jaune and Ren got to talking. "Crazy stuff, right?," Jaune said, "I wonder if this sort of thing happens every year." Ren shrugged. "I doubt it. By the way, do you and Pyrrha have something between you?" Jaune ran a hand through his hair. "Not yet, but I'd like there to be. I mean, what's not to like about a girl like her? Strong, confident, smart, funny, gorgeous. A perfectly sculpted body with good curves and just the right amount of muscle definition."

Ren couldn't help but snicker, a rarity for him. "Sounds like you fell in love with her at first sight." "Totally," Jaune said as he sat on his bed, "It's like the second I lay eyes on her I want to know more about her. And somehow, I think she feels the same way." Meanwhile, inside the bathroom, Pyrrha could hear the boys' conversation and was biting down on her lip to avoid squealing in delight. _'He really feels that way about me. I can't believe it, I thought for sure I'd have to work for it.'_ Nora saw how happy Pyrrha was and gave her new friend a thumbs-up in congratulations.

* * *

The next day saw the two teams, really all new teams in Beacon, personalizing their rooms. In the RWBY dorm, Yang pinned up her poster of the AchieveMen, a popular boy band. "You actually like that sort of thing?," Weiss asked with a snort, "I personally prefer the sound of the Vytal Undead." The other three girls looked at her like she had just turned into a Grimm. "What?," she asked incredulously. Ruby used Crescent Rose to cut down a piece of the curtain and then sewed it back on almost perfectly to give the place a lived-in look.

Weiss hung up a landscape painting she had done herself. The girls all had to admit it was beautifully done. Blake was busy shelving her many, many books. Though things got awkward when her teammates caught her with her copy of "Ninjas of Love". Yang had a wide smirk on her face, Weiss was just shaking her head, and Ruby simply looked curious. Meanwhile in the JNPR dorm, Jaune had just hung up his family's heirloom, the Crocea Mors, a simple short-sword with a scabbard that could unfold into a shield. Right now the shield was in its unfolded state with the sword still inside it, which meant for now it was simply for decoration.

Pyrrha had set up some belongings from her home in Mistral. And while she did not bring all of her old trophies for fear of being seen as arrogant, she did display the first one she ever won as it was most important to her. Ren had a few wall scrolls he set up around the room, plus a photo of himself and Nora when they were younger. The very sight of it, plus the fact that he saw it as a treasured memento, caused Nora to dead faint in bliss. She herself had set up some small weight sets as well as her personal cartridge maker for Magnhild. The four teammates stood back to admire their work. "Nothing like a personalized living space," Jaune noted.

* * *

The two teams, as well as several others, were now in their very first class, taught by the amiable Professor Peter Port. A veteran Hunstman himself, and likely a very skilled one given he was in his mid-fifties in a world that was naturally hostile, Port began his lesson regaling the class of the time he was able to capture a live Beowulf. The story was a rather short one, and Port went to explain the basics of every known species of Grimm, especially the ones most likely to be encountered around Vale.

What really surprised Teams RWBY and JNPR were that the methods they used to defeat the Nevermore and Death Stalker they encountered in the Emerald Forest actually exploited known weaknesses of both creatures. "The unfortunate thing about Grimm," Port said as he winded down the lecture portion of his lesson, "Is that even though it is possible to capture one live, they tend to die in captivity regardless of the circumstances. That is, if they do not break out or kill their captors first. More often than not, however, they wind up killed themselves as they attempt to escape. The only thing that capturing them has proven useful for, is practicing how to hunt more of their kind."

He then had a large metal box with a cage-like door brought in. Judging from the grunts and shaking, there was a Grimm inside it. "Not to worry," Port assured the class, "This Grimm is rather young yet, so even a first-year student shouldn't have too much trouble taking it down. That said..." He retrieved his weapon, a combination blunderbuss as battle-axe, from its plaque. "I will be here to assist should there be any trouble. We can't have our new students having their lives cut short before they even have a chance to become true Hunstmen and Huntresses, after all."

He asked for someone to volunteer, and while Jaune and his team were discussing who to send in, Weiss jumped at the chance to show her skills. The Grimm in question was a Boarbatusk, a boar-like Grimm. Weiss seemed to handle herself pretty well, though she kept getting distracted by yelling at Ruby, who was calling out what Jaune thought was pretty sound advice. Still, Weiss was successful in killing the Boarbatusk. "I wasn't trying to distract you Weiss," Ruby explained, "I just thought as a team leader I should give some help." Weiss sighed. "Ruby, I'll admit you're amazing, if unorthodox, when it comes to tactics."

She rubbed the back of her head, wondering how to voice her thoughts without coming off as condescending. Ruby's question asking if Weiss was typical of her family had shaken her. She had come to Beacon hoping to become independent from her family and she was starting to wonder how successful she was. But thinking about that seemed to solve her problem. "It's just... I've been taught most of my life how to conduct battle. A certain way, a certain style. I was trained to be the best I can be, and I'd be lying if said I wasn't upset when you were chosen as team leader instead of me."

Ruby sighed. "Yeah... Still not sure why Ozpin chose me. I was trained differently. Trained to adapt, to observe. My uncle taught me so that I could easily confront any opponent by fighting fluidly, molding my strategy to whoever my opponent happens to be." That made Weiss think for a moment. The Schnee family would not be around for as long as it had if their fighting style was not effective. But it had also been around for so long that eventually there would come people that could see though it and beat it. Suddenly Ruby seemed like a far greater choice for leader than she ever could.

But there was still one thing Ruby needed help with. Weiss smiled. "Tell you what. Since we're partners, how about we help each other. I think it's high time my family's style got a major update, and... No offense, but I do think you're going to need help with studying." Ruby nodded. "I gotcha. And we have Yang and Blake to help out. It might also help if we got to know each other a little better. Not all at once, of course, but..." "Don't worry," Weiss said with a giggle, "I get what you mean." As they walked off, they were unknowingly observed by Ozpin, who had a slight grin of his own.

To be continued...

 **A minor chapter, but showing some significant changes. The next one's gonna have some big changes. See, I'm doing one chapter for each chapter of RWBY canon (which means it might take some time to finish since Rooster Teeth is still working on the series). Since some chapters of Volume 1 are split into two parts, those chapters are merged together. And those who have seen RWBY know what the next chapter entails. Read and review.**


	7. Chapter 7: Knight's Legacy

**This chapter will have some of the biggest changes in the entire story, at least so far. Let's face it, with how much Jaune has changed, there had to be something different for this chapter. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 7: Knight's Legacy

Jaune was in the middle of a training bout with Cardin Winchester, the leader for Team CRDL. Cardin was a tough opponent, and very strong, but Jaune had the edge in defense and agility causing the fight to even out. Normally Cardin was used to just smashing his opponents into submission. He certainly had the strength and weapon-type for it. But Jaune's skill-set and superior defenses forced Cardin to try some newer tactics. In spite of his growing anger at not being able to pound the blonde pipsqueak, he had to admit he was impressed.

Then Cardin noticed something. Everytime Jaune threw up his Semblance to block an oncoming attack, it was always with the right hand, the one wearing Grimmlock. Smirking, he dashed over to Jaune's left side hoping to get an opening. Hitting a button on his mace, he launched a Dust-powered fireball and Jaune. Not able to turn in time, Jaune tried swinging Roseus Ignis to deflect the attack. Instead he got something better. To both his and Cardin's shock, Jaune's Semblance manifested from his left arm, easily blocking the attack.

Jaune took advantage of his opponent's temporary confusion and popped a lighting Dust crystal into Roseus Ignis' throttle and charged up. Cardin was so caught off-guard from Jaune's new flurry of attacks that before he knew it, his Aura level had dropped below the required threshold, signaling the end of the fight. Glynda Goodwitch, who had been watching the fight, approached the two students. "Well done. It seems this fight was good for both of you. Mr. Arc, from the looks of things you are starting to develope your Semblance. Keep at it and you may be able to manifest it throughout your body."

She then turned to Cardin. "And I hope you are starting to learn a few things, Mr. Winchester. Not every fight can be won by repeatedly bludgeoning your opponent." Cardin sighed as Glynda turned to address the rest of the student body. "As you are aware, the Vytal Festival is fast approaching. The main event is a grand tournament featuring representatives from all four kingdoms. This will give students from rival academies a chance to pit their skills against each other. You each represent Beacon Academy and should therefore give nothing less than your absolute best. This is why training early for the tournament is so important."

* * *

Later that day, RWBY and JNPR met for lunch. "Can you believe it?," Ruby said excitedly, "A tournament here in Beacon! And we get to participate!" Blake nodded. "I gotta admit, I am looking forward to it." "Same here," Jaune said, "It'll be a good chance to see how ten years of training with my dad pays off." "Speaking of which," Pyrrha said, "You seemed to be really into your training match with Cardin." "Well yeah, guy's been bullying me all week," Jaune said, a little irritated, "Shoving me in the Rocket Lockers, knocking my books out of my hand, deliberately shaking the table in shop class."

"How's that a problem?," Yang asked. "Jaune uses shop class to calibrate his weapons," Ren explained, "Cardin's made a habit of deliberately shaking the table Jaune uses in hopes of causing him to make a mistake and scratch them." Jaune nodded. "Basically I decided this would be a great chance for some catharsis. Personally I'd like to know what I ever did to him. I know he picks on every student, but he seems to have singled me out as a personal plaything. It's getting annoying." "I don't think you're his only favorite," Ren said, pointing out Cardin and his team teasing a Faunus girl.

"Isn't that Velvet Scarlatina?," Yang asked. "Seems Cardin is one of those rude individuals who's prejudiced towards Faunus," Pyrrha noted, causing Blake's eyes to narrow at Cardin. Jaune nodded to his team and they moved to confront CRDL. When Cardin spotted the four of them approaching, he narrowed his eyes and asked, "What do you want?" "I think that'd be obvious," Jaune said, lowering his head to meet Cardin's. Cardin chuckled. "What, you actually care about some dumb animal?" What happened next was so fast, Cardin actually flinched and fell out of his chair.

Jaune had moved to punch the big bruiser, but stopped within an inch of Cardin's nose. "I've heard that word thrown around at Faunus all too many times," Jaune said, his voice low, "Let me ask you something. Can animals speak the Human language fluently? Do they have the ability to reason with us, to feel as us? Personally, I don't see Faunus as anything less than a person just because they happen to have a few animal parts. After all, one of the friends I made while here is a Faunus. And keep this in mind. I don't really care what you do to me. And before you bring up our fight earlier, I was just blowing off steam. But try to harm the people around me, especially those I care about, and you will regret it. That's my honor as a knight of the Arc Family."

Cardin was so stunned he couldn't even speak, and just nodded numbly. Nearby, Velvet smiled, grateful for the assistance and Jaune's speech. Blake, for her part, seemed a little tense, while Weiss looked a little guilty. Just outside the cafeteria, Glynda had watched the whole thing. She had been about to intervene on Velvet's behalf, but Jaune had done the job nicely. _'Ozpin chose well when he made Mr. Arc a team leader. He certainly reminds me of his father.'_ JNPR rejoined RWBY at their table. "Jaune, that was awesome!," Ruby said, "You really told off that guy." Jaune shrugged. "Hey, I'm sure you guys would have done it if we hadn't."

* * *

The next class the students had was history with Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck. Oobleck spoke at a rapid pace, but not so fast that nobody could understand his lessons. At the moment, he was lecturing on the Faunus Rights Revolution. "More commonly referred to as the 'Faunus War', the revolution was started in response to Humans attempting to contain Faunus on the island of Menagerie. The Humans at the time were quite adamant about keeping the Faunus there, and discrimination of the Faunus race was at an all time high. Now, has anyone in this class been discriminated against just for being a Faunus?"

Several Faunus students raised their hands, including Velvet. Oobleck sighed and nodded. "Sadly this is a product of ignorance breeding violence. An excellent, if tragic, example would be the White Fang movement. Once a peaceful protest group, they recently turned to terrorism when their methods didn't seem to be working. Now then, can anyone tell me what advantage the Faunus had over Humans during the war?" Jaune was quick to raise his hand. "Yes, Mr. Arc," Oobleck acknowledged. "Night vision," Jaune said.

Oobleck smiled and replied, "Precisely, Mr. Arc. It is the fact that Faunus have near-perfect night vision that eventually proved to be a turning point in the war. Can anyone give me a good example of this?" Blake was next to raise her hand. "Yes, Miss Belladonna." "A good example would be General Lagune," Blake replied, "Who made an attempt to ambush the Faunus army during the night." That got several snickers from the students, save for Cardin who just grimaced. "Indeed Miss Belladonna," Oobleck nodded, "General Lagune's ill-fated ambush attempt is looked upon with embarrassment by Human and Faunus alike, since even then the Faunus' night vision ability was well-known."

Cardin then interrupted, "He still should have won. He was up against a bunch of animals." "It was because of ignorance like that that cost Lagune his victory," Pyrrha countered, "And got him captured when his army was defeated." Cardin growled, but Oobleck diffused the situation with a simple cough. "Mr. Winchester, I'll be seeing you after class. The rest of you are dismissed for the day." Cardin frowned, but stayed behind as he got a lecture from Oobleck on the importance of learning from history. Jaune just shook his head. _'He could be so much more than he is if he just dropped that stubborn pride.'_

* * *

That night, Jaune took Pyrrha out to one of the school balconies. Pyrrha gazed in awe at the twinkling stars. "Beautiful, right?," Jaune asked, "Mom always said a night sky like this helped remind her that even with the world as it is today, there's still a sense of peace somewhere." Pyrrha smiled. "By the way, Jaune, what did you mean earlier when you said 'your honor as a knight of the Arc family'?" Jaune leaned against the balcony railing. "Well, my great-great-grandfather fought in the Great War. He won many battles during that time and was labelled as a hero."

He looked at Pyrrha. "You know that sword I hung up in our room?" Pyrrha nodded. "That was his sword," Jaune said, "The Crocea Mors. It earned its name because every time great-great-grandfather swung it, it seemed to have a golden glow that would strike down those with evil intentions." He looked to the sky with a solemn look. "As a descendant of warriors and heroes, I always felt a pressure to live up to that legacy. Especially since I'm the only boy among eight siblings. But as it turned out, I was feeling a pressure that wasn't even there."

"What do you mean?," Pyrrha asked. Jaune smiled. "Well, one day a thought popped into my head. What if I asked to be trained so I could live up to my family's legacy? So I asked my dad to train me. He and mom were really surprised. Turns out they thought I didn't want training. So when I asked to be trained, Dad agreed wholeheartedly. I spent the next ten years learning how to be a Huntsman, and Dad even used his influence in the Vale Police Department to get me the materials I needed to make my own weapons. And through it all, I made myself a promise."

Pyrrha looked at him curiously and asked, "What's that?" Jaune got up. "That I would uphold the same code of honor my great-great-grandfather set forth. To always protect those around you who need it, regardless of who they may be. And to always remember that protecting others is a conscious choice, one that should never come at the expense of who you are as a person." He turned to look at Pyrrha. "That is what my great-great-grandfather believed to be the mark of a true knight." Pyrrha smiled at him, but Jaune could detect a bit of sadness behind that smile. He gently cupped her cheek in his hand, and brought her in for a kiss. To his delight, Pyrrha made no move to resist, but rather to meet him head on. They held their kiss for several seconds before parting and heading back for their room.

To be continued...

 **I said there would be Arkos, and here we have Arkos. Yeah, I had to really think about Jaune's speech at the end there. Fans of RWBY will likely understand why I settled on what I did. They'll also enjoy seeing Jaune able to beat the snot out of Cardin. As for why I kept in Cardin's bullying behavior, I thought it would form a great basis for some later character development. Read and review.**


	8. Chapter 8: A Knight After All

**More changes in this chapter. Not everything will change, I'm reminded of a good Star Wars fic called "Here I Go Again" that's a great example of this sort of thing done right, but enough will change. And I've speculation about how these changes came about in-universe. I can tell these people they are on the right track. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 8: A Knight After All

Team CRDL were sitting around in their dorm, which was decorated with various symbols from their respective families, all of them lineages of decorated soldiers. Cardin himself was a little irritated from recent events. "Is this about losing to that pipsqueak Jaune?," Dove asked. "Hardly," Cardin said, shaking his head, "Embarrassing as it was, I've gotta acknowledge Jaune's combat skills. It's everything else about JNPR that irritates me. Probably the biggest reason is what happened in Oobleck's class. All that homework's gonna take me weeks to catch up on."

"To be fair," Sky noted, "Your comment would be seen as inappropriate by the teacher." Cardin sighed. "Fair enough. I keep forgetting most folks don't have my point of view. You guys only go along with my teasing because it's mostly harmless. At least... I hope it comes off as harmless." He was really starting to have regrets about his treatment of Velvet. The reality was he thought she was rather cute. Shaking his head, he got back to his point. "Anyway, we need to get back at JNPR big time, but in such a way that Jaune doesn't know. You heard him the other day, he's gonna defend his team with his very life if he has to."

"Too bad you couldn't convince him to help us with this project like you were originally planning," Russel noted. Cardin chuckled. "Not for lack of trying. Guy's thick-skinned so my bullying did little more than annoy him, he's way too tough to take on directly, and I couldn't find anything to come at him indirectly. Hate to say it, but I'm gonna have to forgo the irony bit for this. Probably for the best. If Jaune's serious about his team, he'd have found some way to turn against us regardless. This way we have a better chance of success." "Out of curiosity," Dove chimed in, "Is this because you hate being shown up by a girl?"

The other looked at him like he had the worst case of acne. "What do you take me for?," Cardin asked, "A misogynist? I just hate that Pyrrha keeps leaving the rest of us in the dust. I personally feel it's about time she got a taste of humility. That's what this is really all about. Anyway, to business. Sky, can you gather those Rapier Wasps?" "Easy," Sky said, "I should have a whole box of them before the field trip." "Nice," Cardin said, "Russel, I need you to grab an extra jar. You know the ones I'm talking about." Thrush nodded. "Gotcha, Cardin." "What about Jaune?," Dove asked. "Keep an eye out for him during the trip," Cardin noted, "If he catches wind of this, we're all screwed."

* * *

Meanwhile in the JNPR dorm, Nora was asking Pyrrha for details when she heard Jaune had kissed her. Pyrrha did her best to describe her feelings. "I guess I can't really explain it that well," Pyrrha said, "But it was wonderful. So yeah, now we're official." Nora giggled. "Keep this up and we'll have a lot more room in the dorm because you and Jaune will be sharing a bed." Pyrrha blushed. "I don't think we'll be moving that fast." Nora smiled dialed down a little but didn't fade. "Anyway, you two inspired me to tell Ren how I really feel about him. Turned out to be a good move. Now, we are together-together." Pyrrha surprised Nora with a big hug. "Nora. I'm so happy for you."

* * *

The next day saw the first year students lead through Forever Fall, a forest that seemed to be in perpetual autumn, by Professor Marigold Peach. The youngest teacher at the academy, Peach was having the students collect sap samples from the trees for a class project during the field trip. As Team CRDL collected their samples, Cardin smiled as he got out the extra jar Russel has managed to get. He nodded to Sky, who carefully dropped the backpack he brought, using the excuse that it was meant to hold their samples, and brought out a cardboard box with a "W" written on it marker. From inside the box could be heard buzzing.

As Cardin got ready to throw the sap jar at Pyrrha, which would attract the wasps to her, Dove got his attention. "You'd better make it count. Jaune's not too far away." Cardin looked and saw Jaune was indeed approaching. It was risky, but the field trip wouldn't last very long and Cardin knew he likely wouldn't get a second chance. He chucked the jar as hard as he could, but unfortunately Jaune noticed it as it descended. Mistaking it for a dangerous projectile, he unlocked Grimmlock to use the full force of his Semblance. As the jar rebounded back at Cardin, the only thing he could think to say was, "Nuts..."

The jar splashed all over Cardin's armor, and he was thankful that Sky knew enough not to release the wasps. Unfortunately, they had bigger problems, as the sap wound up attracting an even bigger creature. Jaune heard the roar of the Ursa Major as it approached Cardin and moved in to defend him. "Jeez," he said, "How did you manage to get one of these on your case?" Knocking back the Ursa, he helped Cardin to his feet. Seeing the young hero race off to deal with the Grimm, Cardin shook his head smiling. "Come on guys. Can't let the pipsqueak have all the fun."

His teammates shrugged and got out their weapons. Dove slashes at the Ursa with his gunblade, knocking it back so that Sky could fire the rifle part of his halberd into the beast's underbelly. The Ursa tried a swipe at the students, who backed off, and got one of Russel's blades in its eye. As the Grimm thrashed around in pain, Jaune and Cardin charged up their weapons and blasted the Ursa point-blank in the face, ending the creature then and there. As the five of them took a second to catch their breath, Cardin slapped Jaune on the back. "Thanks. I was panicking for a second there."

"Hey, that's what a knight does," Jaune said, "Even if you have been a jerk these last few weeks. By the way, why is your armor covered in tree sap?" Cardin sighed, knowing he was gonna have a lot of explaining to do. Thankfully, Jaune and his team were forgiving and even offered to help the aspiring knights with their training, plus help Cardin with his own homework assignment. Nearby, Ruby and her team saw the whole exchange. "Seems Jaune's pretty good at influencing people," Weiss noted, "No wonder he was chosen as a team leader." "He does seem to bring out the best in people," Blake said.

* * *

Elsewhere, Cinder had finished telling Salem's concerns to Mercury and Emerald. She wisely decided against mentioning anything to Roman, though she did think it might be safe to risk saying something to Adam. Naturally Adam wasn't going to tell the White Fang for fear they would abandon his cause, but Cinder was right in thinking he was taking Salem's concerns seriously. Her predictions about Mercury and Emerald's reactions was similarly accurate, though Emerald did state that she was skeptical anything would come of it. Mercury was simply confident they'd catch their enemies off-guard no matter what.

"Don't get overconfident," Cinder lectured the young assassin, "We can be caught off-guard just as much as our enemies, which is why we've had to extend our plans. It seemed too easy, and our complacency led to us getting ambushed before we could finish. With our resources and numbers limited our enemies currently have the upper-hand in a direct confrontation, and one slip-up could have all four kingdoms turn on us simultaneously. That is why we must practice secrecy, above all else, until the time is ripe to launch our attack. But we must also practice caution, for even a minor issue could topple the foundation of our plans."

To be continued...

 **The bad guys plot, the good guys get better, and a clash is inevitable. More chapters and changes to come. Read and review.**


	9. Chapter 9: Festival Eve

**We're getting close to the climax of Volume 1. Heh, I don't normally use numerals in my stories save for the chapter number. But yeah, Volume 1 had more character changes as opposed to event changes. You'll be seeing more of the latter in Volumes 2 and especially 3. As for after that, 'cause I will be going a bit beyond that, I don't know. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 9: Festival Eve

The main city of Vale was bustling with activity as preparations for the bi-annual Vytal Festival were underway. As Teams RWBY and JNPR were walking through the city streets, Weiss seemed particularly enthusiastic. "Just think of the amount of planning and attention to detail that goes into this event. Dances, cultural exchanges, a grand tournament!" "So," Yang said, "Why are we spending much of our time at the docks?" Ruby held her nose. "It smells like fish." "What's wrong with that?," Blake asked, getting her a few odd looks.

Weiss sighed. "We're here because representatives from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. As representatives as Beacon Academy, this is a great opportunity to welcome these newcomers to our fair kingdom." "She actually wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper-hand in the tournament," Blake said, causing Nora to snicker. Weiss looked indignant. "You can't prove that." Ruby then spotted a mass of police tape over a destroyed store front. As the teams approached out of curiosity, a helmeted man came riding in on a police motorcycle.

One of the officers at the scene gave a quick salute. "Chief Arc," the officer said, causing the students to gasp. The man removed his helmet to reveal trimmed blonde hair and a matching goatee. "Woah," Ruby said, "He looks like an older version of Jaune." "He should," Jaune said, "That's my dad, Leonidas Arc." At the sound of his son's voice, Leonidas turned to the students and smiled. "Hey Jaune, didn't expect to see you here in town. Getting some early viewings of the festival, right?" "Yeah Pop," Jaune said, "We were gonna greet the arriving students from Vacuo when we spotted... This."

"Just what happened here?," Ruby asked. Leonidas sighed. "For a while now we've been getting reports of Dust shops like this one getting robbed. This is the second one this week. Simmons, is the MO the same as the other places?" "Yes sir, Chief Arc," the officer known as Simmons responded, "No Lien taken, just the entire stock of Dust." Leonidas nodded. "Just like all the others. This keeps up Dust prices are gonna go through the roof. Did we get any leads this time?" The other officer shook his head. "We haven't had anything solid since the sighting of Roman Torchwick during the only failed robbery."

"Some of the others think the White Fang may be involved," Simmons admitted. Leonidas shook his head. "That doesn't add up. Even if they did need that much Dust, the majority of the shops hit are known to be friendly towards Faunus, including this one. Attacking such shops would only hurt the White Fang's credibility, and it's in taters as it is." Blake suddenly looked serious, but Leonidas didn't seem to notice as he walked over to talk to his son, who was standing next to Pyrrha. "So," Leonidas said, "This that girlfriend you mentioned?"

Jaune chuckled. "Yeah, this is Pyrrha, my partner at Beacon." "Hello," Pyrrha said, understandably nervous. But her nervousness faded when Leonidas gave her a warm smile. "Well, his sisters are gonna get excited over this. Just make sure you're committed to this relationship. Let's just say there's a reason Jaune has so many siblings. The look on Gale's face when she realized she was pregnant with child number six..." Jaune sighed. "Really Dad?" Leonidas caught himself and gave a quick cough, while Jaune shook his head. "Anyway, what brings you out here to a crime scene personally? I thought you'd be stuck behind the desk for the rest of your career."

Leonidas grinned. "I guess you could say... I found my courage in yours." And with that, he put his helmet back on and mounted his bike. "By the way, you may be seeing more of me around Beacon during the festival, so don't be afraid to say hi every once in a while." And with that, he drove off. "Wow, Jaune," Weiss said, "I didn't know your father was the Vale City Police Chief." "Yep," Jaune said with a nod, "It's not uncommon for an Arc to put themselves in a position where they can protect people. Soldiers, police, Hunstmen... We've done it all."

At that moment, the group heard a commotion back at the docks. It seemed a young man their age, a Faunus judging by his monkey tail, had stowed away on one of the ships and was now racing across the docks, a big smile across his face. As he hit the street he raced past Teams RWBY and JNPR. As he passed by Blake, he gave her a quick wink and a smile. Blake felt her heart skip in that instant and she was pretty sure she was blushing. As the young man raced off, Yang quipped, "Well, Weiss, here's your chance to view the competition." "Then what are we waiting for," Weiss said, "After him."

Most of the two teams sped off, but Blake stayed behind, still a little dazed. Nora noticed this, and called back to her, "Blake! Hurry up or you'll be left behind!" Blake shook her head and hurried after her friends. The young man rounded a street corner, two officers in pursuit. As Weiss turned that same corner she wound up literally running into a young girl and both fell to the ground. As Weiss got up, she saw the Faunus boy leap onto a nearby rooftop. "Drat, he got away." She then heard Yang clearing her throat and turned to her. Yang pointed at the girl Weiss had run into, still lying on the ground.

Weiss looked at the girl, who offered a cheerful smile. Weiss quickly up as the girl said, "Salutations." The eight friends looked at each other. Even Nora was rendered a little speechless by the strange girl. "Are you okay there?," she asked. "I'm great!," the girl replied, "Thanks for asking." Yang raised her eyebrow. "Do you... Wanna get up?" The girl thought for a second before responding with, "Yes." And with that, she flipped herself off the ground. "My name is Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you." "Hey Penny," Ruby replied, "I'm Ruby." "I'm Weiss." "Blake." "Uh... Yang." "Jaune." "Nora." "I'm Pyrrha." "Ren."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Penny said. "You already said that," Weiss noted. Penny was speechless for a second before responding, "So I did." "Anyway," Weiss said, "Sorry for running into you." The teams walked off, with Ruby saying, "Take care friend." After walking for a bit, Yang noted, "She was... Weird..." Weiss just shrugged. "Now, let's see if we can find that boy again." She suddenly stopped when she saw Penny right in front of them, even though she had earlier been behind them. "What did you call me?," she asked. As Weiss was trying to figure out how Penny got ahead of them, Yang quickly said, "Oh, I'm really sorry. I definitely didn't think you heard me."

"Not you," Penny said, shaking her head. She then walked up to Ruby. "You." "Me?," Ruby replied, confused. "You called me 'friend'," Penny noted, "Am I really your friend?" Ruby didn't know what to say, but spotted her team shaking their heads nervously while Jaune's team was giving her the go-ahead with a thumbs-up. "Yeah, sure," Ruby said, "Why not?" The other girls face-faulted, while Ren sighed and handed Jaune a fifty-Lien piece. "Told you they'd drop," Jaune said smugly. Penny, not noticing them, was ecstatic about Ruby calling her a friend.

"This is so great!," she said, "We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!" Ruby, getting some major deja vu, asked Weiss, "Is this what it was like when you met me?" "No," Weiss noted, "She seems slightly more coordinated." "So Penny," Pyrrha asked, "What are you doing here in Vale?" "Easy," Penny replied, "I'm here to fight in the tournament. I'm a member of the Atlas Team CPPR." Weiss perked up when she heard this. "Wait, you're fighting in the tournament?" Penny nodded. "I'm combat ready!"

"Forgive me," Weiss said, "But you hardly look the part." Blake scoffed. "Says the girl wearing a dress." "It's a combat skirt," Weiss said indignantly. "Yeah!," Ruby chimed in, and the two shared a high five. Weiss then realized something. "Come to think of it, do you know anything about a monkey-tailed Faunus that raced through here a few minutes ago?" "The one who ran by just before we ran into each other?," Penny said, "I think the Academy database lists him as a Haven Academy student named Sun Wukong." "Hold on," Jaune chimed in, "Haven is the Academy in Mistral, but that guy came here on a ship from Vacuo."

"It's not uncommon for people from one kingdom to emigrate to another to attend a different Academy," Pyrrha noted, "For example, I'm from Mistral, while Weiss is from Atlas. Sun probably was born in Vacuo but moved to Mistral to attend Haven." "Which might explain why he was a stowaway," Ren noted. "Either way," Weiss said, "It seems he's long gone by now. We might as well head back to Beacon." "Sweet," Jaune said, "Maybe you girls would like to join us for dinner. You haven't lived 'til you've tried Ren's pancakes." "Don't expect any syrup, though," Pyrrha said, "Nora always gets to it first and leaves none for the rest of us."

* * *

That night, the girls got a major surprise when all the sugar in the syrup didn't cause Nora to go ballistic. On the contrary, she actually seemed a lot more calm and less jitterish. Ren chuckled as he came in with more pancakes. "I know, right? You'd think it'd be dangerous for Nora to have sugar or caffeine, but it's just the opposite." Yang then remembered something. "Hey Jaune, remember when you told Cardin off for teasing Velvet? You said you were friends with a Faunus, but we didn't know Velvet that well up 'til that point, and so far you've only made friends with the seven of us."

Jaune looked legitimately shocked. "You mean you guys haven't picked up on it? Seriously, I thought it was obvious." He then pointed to Blake, whose eyes went wide. "You knew?" "For a while now," Jaune said, "Back at the start of the year, when I spotted you talking to Weiss and Ruby, I saw your bow wiggle a little with no wind around." The others all turned to Blake, who sighed before taking off her bow. Sure enough, underneath it was a pair of black cat ears. "Well," Weiss said, understandably shocked, "This explains a few things." "She does like tuna a lot," Ruby noted.

Blake closed her eyes sadly. "I didn't want to reveal myself in order to avoid prejudice. Especially when I learned Weiss would be attending." Weiss sighed. "It's true my family's been at war with the White Fang for a while now. I've seen friends and family disappear, some executed by those extremists. But you know something..." She closed her eyes. "I've had a long time to think about things, and I've come to realize that it's unfair to treat every Faunus the same way. It's not like they're all like the White Fang. Heck, the White Fang wasn't always like the White Fang."

"But hold on," Ruby said, "Sure there's some jerks like Cardin who are prejudice towards Faunus, but it's well known they're few and far between. Why would you need to hide yourself?" Blake stayed silent for a moment. "There's more to it," Jaune noted, "Isn't there?" Blake sighed. "Yes, but... I don't know if I'm ready to reveal that much." She stood up. "I don't want to put it off forever, though. I just need some time to think over what I'm going to say." And with that, she headed out to the courtyard.

It was dark out, and Blake found herself stopping in front of the statue outside Beacon's front entrance, which depicted a Huntsman and Huntress standing triumphant over a Beowulf. Just then, she heard a male voice saying, "I knew you looked cuter without the bow." She turned to see Son hanging upside-down from a nearby tree. Blake smiled. "Sun, right? I got your name from some girl we ran into." Sun smiled as he jumped down. "Yeah. Don't think I caught your name, though." "It's Blake," Blake replied, "Listen, I've had a lot on my mind and need some help getting my thoughts together. Would you mind helping?"

To be continued...

 **I'll be honest, I've always liked the Black Sun (Blake/Sun) ship. This will be a tertiary ship, right behind Renora and, of course, Arkos. But next chapter we conclude the Volume 1 arc. By the way, we will be seeing more of Leonidas, a character I made up for this story. He still follows the Color Naming Rule set up by Monty Oum, in a rather obscure way. Typically when you hear the name Leonidas you think of the movie "300", which is based off the Battle of Thermopylae, which King Leonidas of Sparta took part in. And the title for 300 is colored red. So yeah. Also, Leonidas' character is going to be based on the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz. His wife, Gale, is going to be based on Dorothy (for the record, she also follows the rule since a gale is made by wind, which is commonly associated with the color green in RPGs). Penny's team is supposed to be pronounced as copper. I had to find a name that could include both Penny and her teammate Ciel. Well, this note has gone on forever. Read and review.**


	10. Chapter 10: Fleeting Innocence

**The final chapter for the Volume 1 arc is here. I had to make some major thoughts as to what was going to change and what was going to stay the same, and I think I have some good idea now. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 10: Fleeting Innocence

Nearly two days had passed since the group of friends had seen Blake. Two days since they learned that she was actually a Faunus. Weiss was really starting to question a lot of things she knew, since what she knew about Faunus was fed to her by a very biased source. It was only recently that her viewpoint started to change, and the revelation that one her friends was a Faunus, yet acted nothing like what she thought they did, was really hammering that point home. Finally, Blake contacted the group. Turned out she had been spending the last two days with Sun.

Yang naturally couldn't resist teasing her partner when they met up again. "So, getting up close and personal with a boy, huh?" Blake smirked. "I'm not about to make a litter if that's what you're thinking." Weiss actually laughed at Blake's counter, while Yang was rendered speechless. She then smiled. "I wasn't about to make a Faunus-based joke, but since you're letting those on the table..." The eight friends plus Sun sat around a table at a local cafe. "So," Sun said, "You said you had something important to say?" Blake breathed deep, then gave a heavy sigh. "The truth is... I used to be a member of the White Fang."

Weiss did a spit take while Sun choked on his coffee. The others just started at Blake. Shaking her head, Weiss asked, "Since when? And when did you quit?" Blake closed her eyes as she began her story. "Well as you may remember from Oobleck's lessons, the White Fang began as a symbol of peace between Humans and Faunus, but in those days Human discrimination of Faunus was still high, prompting the White Fang to become the voice of the people. I was practically born into membership, in the days when they still practiced peaceful protests. I was there at every protest, every rally, every boycott..."

She shed a tear before wiping it away. "At the time, I really thought we were making a difference. But that all ended five years ago. On that day, the former leader stepped down, and a new one took his place. One with more violent and radical ideas. Suddenly instead of peaceful protests, we were making organized attacks and hijacking businesses that refused to serve us or used Faunus labor. The worst part was... It was working. But not in the right way. Instead of being respected, we were feared. Instead of seeing us as equals, Humans saw us as monsters."

"Harsh," Jaune said, "And they unknowingly fall in line with what more xenophobic people think of them without even realizing." Blake nodded. "At first I simply retreated to the shadows, no longer wanting to be part of the White Fang's actions. But then my ex-boyfriend, Adam Taurus, noticed that I was awakening to my Aura and possessed a Semblance. He somehow convinced me to take on a simple job. I thought it was just a recon job, until we began it. It turned out, Adam had plans to steal an entire train from the Schnee Dust Corporation. To make matters worse, there were innocent people onboard. Both Humans and Faunus. He didn't seem to care..."

Weiss then realized something. "Come to think of it, part of that train, the passengers cars specifically, was returned to my family's property shortly after it was announced to have been hijacked. People who went to check on the passengers saw what looked like a girl in black disappearing from the area. Was that you?" Blake nodded. "I had come to hate what the White Fang was becoming, and decided one way or another that job would be my chance to leave. Hearing someone I had trusted my whole life act with such disdain for others only strengthened my resolve. So I cut the passenger cars loose and just rode away with it."

Weiss nodded. "While I don't like that you were once involved with those terrorists, I can believe you when you say that's no longer the case." "Yeah," Sun said, "And it's not like you're alone in this. Lots of Faunus hate the White Fang just as much as Humans. Stupid holier-than-thou creeps if you ask me. And Jaune's right. Their actions are doing more harm than good, even if they don't realize it." Blake smiled. "Thanks guys. I feel a lot better after talking about this." "You still haven't explained why you wear a bow, though," Pyrrha noted.

"Even if I only ever participated in one job," Blake replied, "And even then backed out of it in a big way, I was still part of a terrorist group for a time. I was afraid people would find out about my affiliation, and what would happen after that. Knowing all the terrible things they've done, I can definitely see why the police suspect their involvement in the recent Dust robberies. But I'm still having a difficult time really believing it. They only ever attacked stores and companies to send a message, and if they stole anything it was usually Lien. If they wanted Dust they would just buy it from Faunus-friendly stores."

"I dunno," Yang said, "If they went out of their way to steal an entire train..." Sun seemed to be thinking about something. "Well, if we're gonna solve that mystery, our best chance of finding out is to go stake out a target these Dust thieves would find irresistible. If the White Fang don't show up, we know they're not involved." Jaune nodded. "Sounds good. Any ideas?" Sun nodded. "Back on the ship I overheard they were off-loading a huge shipment of Dust coming in from Atlas." "I know the one you're talking about," Weiss said, "It was a special order that came in last week, likely in response to all the robberies."

"That's right," came Penny's voice, causing the others to turn towards it and see here sitting there with them. "Penny!," Ruby said, "When did you get here?" "Sorry for eavesdropping like this," Penny said, "But I overheard you talking about finding out about the White Fang. Anyway, that shipment you were just talking about is supposed to be a very expensive one. Judging from the cargo manifest, the revenue from the order will barely cover the cost of the shipment." "Yeah, I know," Weiss chimed in, "Dad's not too happy about that. One more reason to make sure it isn't stolen." With their goal in mind, the ten of them made their plans.

* * *

That night, the students took up their positions at the docks. Ruby, Penny, Weiss, Sun, and Blake were on top of one the warehouses, with Yang, Nora, Ren, Jaune, and Pyrrha down below inside the same warehouse. Weiss pointed out the Schnee family logo on the side of one of containers. "This is the right shipment. Now we just have to wait." Penny, who had been brought up to speed on what she missed, was thinking to herself. _'This Adam Taurus must not be a very nice person if Blake decided to break up with him.'_ Her thoughts were soon interrupted when the trademark presence of a Bullhead, a type of VTOL, made itself known.

The Bullhead landed amongst the unsupervised crates and opened up, as several armored individuals got out. Blake took one look at them and muttered, "Oh no..." She pointed to the emblem on the back of their armor, a red picture of a wolf head over three scratch marks. "That's the current emblem of the White Fang." As the White Fang members got to work, Weiss turned to Blake, "I guess this confirms it. Sorry..." "Don't be," Blake said, "Deep down I knew they had to be involved. I just didn't want to be right." Just then an adult male could be heard yelling, "Hey, what's the hold up!?"

Ruby gasped. "That's Roman Torchwick. He was in charge of the thugs at From Dust Till Dawn. I only heard his name later in the news." "Something's off," Blake noted, "The White Fang would never work with a human." "This might explain why even Faunus-friendly shops were hit," Penny noted, "This Roman fellow wanted to disguise their involvement." Weiss contacted the second team via her Scroll. "We all remember the plan?," she asked. After a quick confirmation, she nodded to Blake, who leapt off the roof and snuck up to capture Roman.

As Blake tried to talk down the White Fang and get them to explain why they were working for a criminal like Roman, the second team was waiting just in case trouble started. "Think she can get them to stand down?," Yang asked. As if in answer, more Bullheads showed up, distracting Blake. Roman took the opportunity to fire a shot from his Melodic Cudgel to escape Blake's grasp. Once free, he spun around to face her, only to get fired upon by several of Blake's friends. The White Fang members moved to retaliate, but quickly found themselves overwhelmed.

Sun and Weiss then jumped down to help Blake deal with Roman, while Ruby stayed on the roof with Penny to start taking down the Bullheads. One of the Bullheads landed to drop off several more White Fang, but they quickly got swept away by Jaune and Pyrrha's Semblance. Roman wasn't having an easier time. With Blake's Semblance distracting him, Weiss' Semblance keeping him on his toes, and Sun's Ruyi Bang and Jinju Bang keeping him from effectively retaliating. Finally Roman managed to line up a good shot, but had to duck as what sounded like a rifle shot struck near him.

When he looked to where the shot came from, he was surprised to see the same girl who gave him trouble before. "Why hello Red. I wasn't expecting to see you again." He quickly fired a shot from his Melodic Cudgel. Penny quickly dove to get Ruby out of the way, then dropped off the roof. "Nobody hurts my friends!" Her backpack slid open, and out of it popped multiple blades that seemed to circle around Penny. She quickly knocked away several White Fang that tried to rush her, then noticed the Bullheads coming in firing chin-mounted machine guns.

Penny smiled as two more blades popped out of her backpack and shot into the nearby warehouse. Using them as an anchor, the blades she was attacking with re-configured into miniature guns and spun around, charging some sort of laser. The laser fired off several times, easily cutting through two of the Bullheads. The third one had landed long enough for some of the White Fang to strap a shipping container on it, but Penny quickly lodged several blades into the side and began pulling it down almost effortlessly. Seeing this, and noting his ground troops were now dealt with, Roman decided to make himself scarce and hurried onto the first Bullhead. "These kids just keep getting weirder," he muttered as he closed the hatch.

The students spotted Roman and another Bullhead escaping just as Penny finished bringing down her quarry with the container intact. "Well," Ren noted, "Roman got away, but at least we stopped the robbery." Jaune nodded. "I think now would be a good time to call the police." When the police arrived, lead by Leonidas, the students explained everything. To Blake's surprise and relief, Leonidas decided not to have her arrested for her former association to the White Fang. "As far as I'm concerned," he explained, "You've only ever been a protester. If anything, you saving those civilians on the train and becoming a Huntress could be considering community service."

Blake smiled as Sun put his arm around her shoulder in reassurance. That's when Ruby noticed someone was missing. "Hey, where's Penny?" "Oh, her?," Leonidas replied, "She got picked up by her father, Dr. Geppetto Polendina." Sure enough, Penny was sitting in an old-fashioned car next to her father. "That was very reckless of you, Penny," Geppetto said, "I know you're eager to test your abilities, but we don't know if anyone would really accept you for who you are." "I know Daddy," Penny said, "But what I really wanted was to make some friends." Geppetto smiled. "Well, I'd say you accomplished that at least."

Back at the docks, Leonidas took out his scroll and contacted someone. 'Why Leo,' came Ozpin's voice, 'This is a surprise. I thought you didn't want to get involved after your wife's injury.' "Circumstances have changed," Leonidas replied, "I have several White Fang members in custody, several confirming a report that they were working with the notorious criminal Roman Torchwick." 'This gets more complicated by the day,' Ozpin noted, 'I just received a message from Qrow, saying only "Queen has pawns". I think you know what that entails.' Leonidas nodded. Their enemies were mobilizing in secret.

* * *

Back at his hideout, Roman took a puff of his cigar as he noticed Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald enter. "Things got out of hand," he said, "Somehow we attracted more attention than you predicted. Rather than two or three, there were ten in total." Cinder frowned. "Then our enemies are more tight-knit that I expected. We'll have to work around this." She eyed him carefully. "Don't go getting any ideas now. Don't forget they are just students. So long as you don't underestimate them, they shouldn't pose a threat." Roman nodded. "Very well, but I am going to need more resources and manpower for the next phase of operations."

"You'll get it," Cinder said with a cruel smile, "Our contact in the White Fang is readying a recruitment drive. And while circumstances at the docks means performing more robberies here in Vale is out of the question, I have connections that can get you the Dust you need within the week." As she and her cohorts walked out, she noted, "Don't disappoint me, Roman. We have high hopes for you." Once they were gone, Roman thought to himself. _'There's more to this than she's letting on. She almost seemed worried that so many interlopers took notice of our operations. Granted she did stress the necessity for secrecy, but it sounded as if she expected someone to show up.'_

He popped his cigar into his mouth. _'If things deviate too much from her projected scenario...'_ He got out his Scroll and made a call. "Neo, have our usual reservation booked. I think we may need to discuss an escape plan." 'Starting to lose confidence in Cinder's schemes?' came the voice of Neopolitan, Roman's female partner. "I won't say anything about that yet," Roman said, "But we both know that if things do go wrong for Cinder's little group it will end badly for them. I've only stuck around because I've seen no reason to believe it can fail. At least not yet." Neo nodded. 'Gotcha RT. See ya at the usual time.'

To be continued...

 **As fans of RWBY know, Neo is mute throughout the entire run of RWBY so far, and even in RWBY Chibi she communicates with word signs (or maybe just the one sign which she writes on using her Semblance). There's been speculation that she and Roman are either like The Joker and Harley Quinn or a father and daughter. I'm going with the former, and also with the idea that she will only speak with Roman, and even then only when they're alone. Anyway, next chapter starts the Volume 2 arc. Read and review.**


	11. Chapter 11: Remains of Childhood

**The Volume 2 arc begins. Our young Huntsmen and Huntresses are going to facing bigger and badder challenges. But first, the funniest fight in the series. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 11: Remains of Childhood

Mercury and Emerald walked through the streets of Vale, Emerald scanning the signposts to try finding where they are. "You sure we're not lost?," Mercury asked. Emerald then spotted a shopkeeper hanging up a "re-opening" sign on his store, From Dust Till Dawn. Seeing the old man start to slip off his step-ladder, Emerald quickly moved to help the old man. "Thanks, young lady," the shopkeeper. "No problem," Emerald replied, "Listen, maybe you can help me and my friend out. See, we're new in Vale and we've been looking for Tukson's Book Trade."

She showed the shopkeeper the address she wrote on a piece of paper, and he gave the two of them directions before returning to the sign. As they walked off, Mercury noted something. "Something troubling you?" Emerald looked at her partner. "What makes you think that?" "Well any other day you'd have swiped that old man's wallet without a second thought and without him the wiser," Mercury noted, "But you walked away from a prime opportunity empty-handed. Pretty sloppy for a master thief." Emerald simply stopped, grabbed Mercury by the collar, then surprised him by flat-out kissing him on the lips.

Mercury's arms went limp and his eyes went wide before closing as he fell into the kiss. When Emerald finally broke off, she said, "Think that'll get you to stop teasing me?" "Maybe...," Mercury said, still stunned. The young thief smiled but sighed. "I've just been concerned lately. You know Cinder is worried after she received word that some odd changes were cropping up." "She's just paranoid," Mercury said as they continued walking, "Might be another side-effect of you-know-what. Granted given what we're planning to do she has every right to be paranoid, but still."

"I dunno," Emerald said, concerned, "Have you ever known Cinder to be anything other than confident in her plans?" "No," Mercury said, shaking his head, "But then again I haven't known her for very long. Neither have you." The duo stopped at the bookstore and entered. The both shared a look of surprise as someone much younger than they expected was behind the counter. Emerald walked to the young man while Mercury browsed through the books. "Excuse me, but we were looking for a few titles." The young man nodded. "Sure thing. What are you looking for?"

Emerald ran through a list of titles, some the store had, some they didn't. "How about... Third Crusade?," Emerald said, with a subtle touch of seriousness. They young man, oblivious, replied, "Huh... I don't think I've heard of that book." Emerald's serious look dropped into one of confusion. "This is Tukson's Book Trade, right?" The young man nodded. "And," Emerald continued, "You're Tukson?" "Nah," the young man replied, "Old man Tukson left last week heading for Vacuo. Something about a police protection program. Apparently they rushed him the tickets."

"Huh," Mercury said, just as surprised as Emerald. After they looked at each other, Emerald said, "Sorry for the confusion. We assumed you were Tukson since you were running the store." She got out another address, which was one of their "hide in plain sight" safehouses as well as the appropriate amount of Lien for the other books she had ordered. After making the necessary reservations and paying for them, the duo left the book store. "Well," Emerald said, "At least we can get some reading done while we're here." "Yeah, and Cinder won't yell at us for getting our hands dirty," Mercury noted.

* * *

Meanwhile at Beacon Academy, Blake was sitting with her team, sans Ruby, looking through her journal. She had opened it the day she had first gotten to know Adam. "Lemme guess," Yang said, snapping Blake out of her thoughts, "Your ex?" "Yeah," Blake said sadly, "Back then I didn't know what he was really like." Yang opened her mouth to catch a grape thrown by Nora, Team JNPR was sitting across from them, but didn't say anything else. None of the friends were really talking about Blake's bad relationship, at least not in public, but from what she was willing to say in private it had left a long-lasting scar.

As the group bantered a little about the fight at the docks, Ruby came in with a huge binder which she dropped on the table. "Sisters, friends, Weiss." "Hey!," Weiss called out indignantly. Pyrrha looked at the binder and noted the front cover. Someone, likely Ruby, had used a red marker to cross out the original title, "Vytal Festival Activities property of Weiss Schnee", and written a new title, "Best Day Ever Activities!". Ruby continued talking. "Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream. A dream that our two noble Huntsman teams would unite together to have the most fun anyone has ever had... Ever!"

Weiss then noted the binder. "Did you steal my binder?" Pyrrha snickered as Ruby, holding her hands out in peace signs, said, "I am not a crook." Blake shook her head and smiled. Despite all the battles Ruby had been through up to that point, she never seemed to lose that childlike innocence. "What are you talking about?" Ruby pointed at her. "We need to kick this semester off with a bang." "I always kick my semesters off with a Yang," Yang joked. This got her smacked in the face with an apple while Jaune retorted, "Dust dammit, Yang."

Ruby shook her head. "Listen guys, it's been two weeks since preparations for the festival began, and with more exchange students arriving and the tournament at the end of year our second semester's gonna be great. But classes start back up again tomorrow. So I've set up a series of awesome events for us to do today." "I don't know whether to be proud or scared," Weiss admitted. "It still sounds like a good idea," Blake noted, "After the craziness at the docks, I think we could all use something fun." Weiss stood up to make a comment, only to get hit in the face with a whipped cream pie thrown by Nora, who promptly tried to blame Jaune by pointing at him.

* * *

Outside the cafeteria, Sun was walking alongside his best friend and partner, Neptune Vasilias. Neptune was impressed as Sun described the fight the local Hunstmen had against the White Fang, and also a little teasing about Sun's new crush. As they approached the cafeteria doors, Sun winded down his story. "And the best thing about her is, she's a Faunus." He checked his words and quickly added. "But that's a secret! And I don't mean an 'I'm gonna tell Scarlet the moment he turns his back' secret!"

"Relax Sun," Neptune said with a nod, "You explained the whole thing. I got it." Sun nodded. "Seriously. I don't wanna screw this up. The people at this school are the coolest, and more importantly Blake and her friends are really tight. They know how badly her last relationship went and they'll really wail on whoever hurts her, even accidentally. That said, I'm really excited for you to meet them so... Be cool. You're gonna be cool, right?" "Dude," Neptune said as he crossed his arms and smiled. "Good point," Sun said, and they both entered the cafeteria. To their surprise, there was a cry of, "Food fight!"

The entire cafeteria was in disarray. To the duo's right, several tables were stacked on top of each other haphazardly alongside several vending machines and drink fountains. Nora was standing on top of the pile cackling like an Evil Overlord and chanting, "I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!" On the other hand, Ruby was crushing a milk carton screaming, "Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful! It will be... Delicious!" Her team join in on her war cry. Team JNPR leapt down from their perch. Ren kicked up a trio of watermelons before kicking them over to Team RWBY.

Jaune grabbed several more with his Semblance and threw them. Pyrrha threw a couple of her own, while Nora flipped an entire tableful. Seeing the incoming projectiles, Yang shoved her hands into a couple of roast turkeys, using them much like Ember Celica to dodge and smash the watermelons. Blake leaped over her and grabbed a couple baguettes, wielding them much like the twin blades of Gambol Shroud. Jaune and Pyrrha quickly grabbed a couple baguettes of their own and raced to confront her, Jaune quickly ducking as Yang threw one of the turkeys in his direction.

The couple double-teamed Blake, who had to use her Semblance to effectively dodge. After a few exchanges she backed away, throwing one of the baguettes end-first as she did. Jaune rushed to catch up to her, with Pyrrha throwing her baguette much like Milo's javelin mode. Blake blocked the projectile, but then had to confront Jaune's bread-based sword skills. Luckily for the feline Faunus, Ruby chose that moment to come racing in riding a food tray, knocking Jaune aside and then moving in on Pyrrha.

The red-head managed to hold off Ruby as she came diving in tray-first, but Ruby's momentum let her knock down Pyrrha quickly. Nora and Ren quickly came to their friends defense, but Weiss then moved in, using a ketchup bottle to make the floor slippery. Ren couldn't help but think of Myrtenaster's ice technique as he slipped and crashed into some more tables, while Nora jumped up to grab an empty flagpole and ran the end into a leftover watermelon, swinging it around much like Magnhild. Ruby stepped in to stop Nora's first attack but got knocked back.

Thinking quickly, Weiss grabbed a whole swordfish and used it to briefly duel Nora, knocking her back for a bit before Nora launched a serious counterattack. Weiss was knocked into a pillar on the far end of the cafeteria. Ruby quickly grabbed her partner as the column collapsed, then in an overly dramatic, and much exaggerated, fashion, cried out, "Weiss, Weiss! Don't leave me! No!" Weiss, who was still conscious, resisted the urge to snicker and ruin Ruby's moment. Meanwhile, Yang had grabbed two more turkeys and began dueling Ren, who had settled on a pair of leeks in lieu of any weapons similar to StormFlower.

Ren was able to hold his own for a while, but Yang's superior strength allowed her to knock Ren to the ground. However, Yang then got on the bad end of an attack from Nora who came in to defend her man. After a brief exchange, Nora actually sent Yang right through the ceiling. Blake dodged the falling debris and grabbed a long sausage chain, whipping it around like Gambol Shroud's ribbon and smacking Nora right into one of the vending machines. Seeing several soda cans fall out of it, Nora grabbed a couple and started chucking them like Magnhild's grenades.

Blake got knocked back by one can, but quickly recovered and started dodging the others. By now Pyrrha and Jaune had recovered, and spotted all the cans. Smiling, Jaune nodded to Pyrrha, who used her Semblance to manipulate the cans, while Jaune took the tap from the soda fountain and pulled the trigger. The two attacks overwhelmed Blake, sending her sailing into the wall. Ruby spotted this, and raced forward using her Semblance, causing all the soda cans, and eventually Team JNPR, to be sucked up in the slipstream. Hitting the opposite wall, in the order of Ren, Nora, Pyrrha, and Jaune, they soon spotted the soda cans barreling in on them.

The two couples held hands as they braced themselves, getting absolutely pelted by both the cans, and a whole mess of other foods. Finally, Ruby landed right in front of the impact the made. The four team members then dropped to the ground, leaving their imprints in the wall. Having seen the whole thing, Sun remarked, "I love these guys." Neptune, who had suffered some minor collateral damage in the form of getting grape soda all over himself, was less than amused.

That's when Glynda burst into the cafeteria, crop in hand, and used her Semblance to put the cafeteria back in as much order as she could. Though angry, she calmy addressed the students, "Children, please... Do not play with your food." The two teams, sans Yang, grinned sheepishly. Yang soon joined them, albeit falling from near escape velocity, then got up and dusted herself off before giving a thumbs up. Glynda was still angry, but calmed down when she saw Ozpin walk up behind her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Best let this one go," Ozpin said, "After all, they won't be children forever, so best to let them enjoy what little childhood they have left." Glynda sighed. "It is wrong to think they're growing up too fast?" Ozpin shook his head. "No, but I don't think they are. Actually, I'd say they're growing up at the perfect pace. Besides, if this simple child's game is any indication, they're keeping their combat skills sharp." He then thought to himself, _'Which means when that day finally comes, they'll at least be able to survive...'_

* * *

Elsewhere, at a White Fang hideout, Mercury and Emerald walked over to where Roman could seen going over some schematics. When he spotted the duo, he smiled and pulled them into a fake hug. "Welcome back kids. How was your time in town?" He managed to grab a slip of paper from Emerald's pocket, the irony of which was not lost on the master thief when she realized it, and asked, "May I ask why you have the address for Tukson's bookstore?"

"Well," Mercury said, "We had been planning on cleaning up your mess. Unfortunately, it seems you took too long. Tukson was long gone by the time we arrived, leaving the store to someone else." "Really?," Roman said, genuinely surprised, "And here I was sure I'd have a few more days to deal with that little issue." "And here I was sure," Cinder said as she descended from a nearby lift, "That I told you two to keep your hands clean while in Vale." "Sorry ma'am," Emerald said, "But it looked as if Roman didn't have a clear handle on the situation."

Cinder sighed. "Well, at least you technically followed my orders, so I'll forgive you." "And for the record," Roman said as he lit a cigar, "With my schedule recently cleared up I had planned on finishing that little job by the end of the week. Speaking of which..." He turned to Cinder, who smiled. "Don't worry, I've already come bearing gifts." Several White Fang members came in transporting shipping containers. "My contacts are not happy they had to reach this far," Cinder said, frowning, "But luckily for you they are understanding of the situation. Regardless, we are now ready to move on with Phase Two."

"I trust this means you'll be releasing a bit more information?," Roman said, narrowing his eyes. "Very well," Cinder said, "You are already aware that we plan on attacking Beacon Academy. The reason being is that one of the prime goals of our operations is penetrating a high-security vault containing something of great value. Don't get your hopes too high, it's value is not monetary. However, we are willing to pay you quite handsomely for your role in this." Roman smiled. "Very well. What's our next move?" "First," Cinder said, "You'll be having our White Fang friends transport the Dust to a certain location which I will send to your Scroll. Once at the location, you'll receive further orders."

"One step at a time, eh?," Roman said, shaking his head, "Very well." As Cinder left with Emerald and Mercury, the thief asked her assassin lover, "Just to ask, how high do those metal legs of yours reach?" "They stop just above the knee," Mercury replied, "Why do you ask?" Emerald grinned. "Oh, you'll find out once we get to the hideout..." Cinder couldn't help but shake her head in amusement. _'Seeing those two flirt with each other puts my mind at ease. Which is a good thing, because I'll need that peace of mind as our plans continue...'_

To be continued...

 **We kicked this new arc off with a bang! Speaking off, how many of you guys can spot the Rooster Teeth reference I snuck in there? Read and review.**


	12. Chapter 12: Team LJGN

**I've been reading a lot of reviews (and would like to request that some you invest in grammar checking and spell checking because I can't understand what the heck you're saying). For those of you who I can understand, thanks for the support. It helped make a couple corrections (the correct spelling of Sun's name for example) but there are a few things I want to clarify. First, who's tge CRWBY, and unless they're from Rooster Teeth I am not accepting what they have to say in regards to Roman and Neo. Second, sorry, no Naruto powers, but Jaune's current powers will grow to resemble Nero's a bit more. Third, I see you guys already have some suspicions about Ozpin. Finally, you want more, you got more. For the record, the team name I'm putting in the title is pronounced "legion". Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 12: Team LJGN

Ozpin opened his eyes to see himself sitting on a bench. He wasn't sure entirely what would happen to the future he had shifted out of, but he knew it would break quite a few. _'A Semblance of time travel... Well, of a sort. And since I remember where things went wrong... Well, I can't be everywhere, and revealing future events would lead to questions. Present_ and _future ones, on the other hand.'_ He then realized he was holding onto a fairy tale book open to the The Story of the Seasons and realized he'd gone further back than he thought.

This was confirmed when he heard a familiar voice ask him, "What's that book you're reading, mister?" Ozpin looked to see a much younger Jaune Arc. Hiding his surprise, he quickly slipped into the same routine he had the last time. "Just a book of fairy tales." Jaune giggled. "Aren't you a bit old for fairy tales?" Ozpin grinned. "To say that is to say one is too old to have hope, for fairy tales can be a good source of hope, quite necessary in the world we live in. Take this one for example, The Story of the Seasons. It's a tale about four sisters who give an elderly wizard hope out of the goodness of their hearts, and in thanks he grants each of them a fragment of his power so they may do the same with others."

Of course, Ozpin knew there was more to the tale, starting with the fact that it was real, but right now only he and a handful of others knew that. He then got an idea. "Why not try reading it for yourself? I'm sure there is a copy of this book in your family's home." Jaune got thoughtful, and then headed off. Ozpin couldn't help but wonder how reading that enchanting story would effect the young boy. He would get his answer ten years later, when not only did Jaune not have to fake his way into Beacon, but was much, much stronger than the previous timeline.

* * *

Back in the present time, Leonidas stood in the courtyard of Beacon. He shook his head when he saw the fleet of Atlesian airships, one of which pulled up to the Beacon docks. As the hatch opened, out stepped General James Ironwood, who showed surprise when he spotted Leonidas. "When Ozpin told me you decided to come out of hiding, I was skeptical," Ironwood said, "Perhaps you've finally gotten over what happened to your wife?" "That's not something you just get over," Leonidas said, narrowing his eyes, "But ten years of training my son to be a Huntsman put my situation into perspective."

He smiled. "That said, it's good to see you again. What, you starting to miss Vale? Haven't been here since you graduated and got that job offering from Atlas." Ironwood returned the smile as the two walked toward the Academy. "I was asked by Ozpin to arrive to discuss matters. That said, I do miss the environment. Much warmer than Atlas." Leonidas smirked as the two made their way to Ozpin's office. Once inside, he quipped, "And Team LJGN is reunited, right Nathan Ozpin?" Ozpin smirked and shook his head, while Glynda rolled her eyes in amusement. "You certainly haven't changed, Leo."

"I noticed a change," Ironwood replied, with a hint of amusement, "He's finally found his backbone." Glynda did her best not to snicker. Leonidas frowned. "Would you two just get a room already? Seriously, reunited for less than five minutes and you're already back at it." Ozpin cleared his throat. "As much as I'd like to reminisce about our Academy days, there are a few things to discuss. First... Really James? Bringing in an entire fleet?" "Given that our enemies are starting to make their move," Ironwood argued, "I thought it best to err on the side of caution."

"You forget," Leonidas retorted, "That it's an enemy the vast majority of Remnant doesn't know about. Coming in with full arms leaves them confused and could send the wrong impression, while also giving our enemies a glimpse into what we're capable of. Now I know the message from Qrow Branwen has you on edge, but he's still looking into who our wayward Queen is using for her pawns." Ironwood looked at Leonidas in surprise. "You've been in contact with him? I was under the impression he was compromised." "Qrow?," Leonidas said with a smirk, "Compromised? I think know I him better than you do."

He turned solemn. "He has a habit of keeping his face hidden when dealing with enemies, and you remember his fighting style. If they did see his face, it was a blur. And when meeting him casually... Well, it's Qrow!" Ironwood regarded this for a moment, then cleared his throat. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try contacting him to get an update on the situation." Glynda shook her head. "And once again, our fearless leader resolves all tension in the group." "Hey," Leonidas retorted, "If I was so fearless, Gale wouldn't have gotten hurt and I'd still be a Huntsman instead of shifting to the police department."

"Gentlemen, Glynda," Ozpin said, "We still have a few things to discuss. Leo, how did your interrogation of the White Fang members that were captured go?" "Between them and my talks with Tukson," Leonidas replied, "It seems there may be a rift in the White Fang. For now at least. At least two sides, one still following the current leader, the other loyal to an Adam Taurus. Blake confirmed it was her ex-boyfriend they were talking about." "Ozpin," Ironwood interrupted, "While I won't deny Blake Belladonna can be trusted, I must ask if you knew about her past."

"I knew she was a Faunus the whole time," Ozpin said, "But not that she had history with the White Fang." Leonidas then closed his eyes. "Nathan, Qrow told me something interesting about his niece Ruby. I saw them with my own eyes. They were Summer's eyes. Does this mean...?" Ozpin nodded. "I believe so. But right now she can't even manifest that power, much less unleash its full potential." Ironwood's jaw dropped as he realized what they were talking about. "Just what sort of students are you bringing in, Nathan?" Ozpin just grinned and shrugged.

* * *

Meanwhile, Teams RWBY and JNPR were in the Beacon library playing Remnant: The Game. Ruby and Jaune were using Mantle, the predecessor of Atlas, Weiss and Nora had Vacuo, Blake and Pyrrha had Vale, and Yang and Ren had Mistral. Ruby and Jaune seemed to be arguing about a strategy Ruby had. "I'm telling you it's fool-proof," Ruby said. "Alright," Jaune said, "But don't come crying to me if this bites us in the iron keister." "Yes," Pyrrha said, "I'd rather someone not take my preferred seat." That got the whole group snickering, Pyrrha and Jaune included.

Once the laughter died down, Ruby turned to her sister, "Okay, Yang Xiao Long, prepare your kingdom for battle!" Yang smirked. "Bring it on!" Ruby laid down her card, "I deploy Atlesian Air Fleet! This let's me fly right over your Ursa to attack your walls directly. And since Atlas is a region of Mantle, my repair time is reduced to one turn." Ren spoke up. "Yang, think we should show her?" Yang grinned. "Pretty sneaky sis, but you've activated our trap card." Ruby gasped as Yang revealed the card. "Giant Nevermore!"

Ren smirked. "So now, all we have to do is roll a seven or higher, the Nevermore's Fatal Feathers will destroy half your attacking army." "But wait," Ruby retorted, "If you roll a six or lower, the Nevermore will turn on your own forces." Yang leaned in. "That's a chance I'm willing to take." Sure enough, Yang managed to roll a ten. "No!," Ruby cried, "My fearless soldiers..." "Well, Ruby," Jaune said, "I hate to say I told you so. To be fair, it was a good strategy, just not a fool-proof one." "And now our rewards," Yang said, "Which might I add are doubled this round thanks to Mistral Trade Route."

To Ruby's horror, one of the rewards Yang drew was Smugglers of Wind Path, letting Yang and Ren grab two cards from an enemy's hand. By the end of it, Ruby was laying her head on the table in tears. "Alright Weiss, Nora," Ren said, "Your turn." Weiss sighed. "I have no idea what's going on." "It's simple," Nora said, as she played cards in rapid succession, "First we use Desert Scavenge to go through the discard pile, while combining it with Resourceful Raider to grab a card of our choice, like Atlesian Air Fleet. Then we take advantage of our Vacuo soldiers' resistance to natural disasters and use Sandstorm to disable the Mistral ground troops."

Weiss looked confused. "Wait, what does that mean?" Nora sighed. "It means we can easily defeat Yang here and now and take control of Mistral." "Which means you're only three moves away from conquering Remnant...," Ruby whined. Weiss' eyes widened and she got up and cackled like a cliche villain. "Yes! Cower before my unstoppable forces! Watch helplessly as they raid your homes and take your children from your very arms-" "Trap card," Yang blurted out, showing Weiss the Faunus Shock Troop card. "Ouch," Nora said, "That takes out our entire invading army. Also, Weiss, you have serious issues."

Weiss sat back down and started bawling. "I hate this game of emotions we play." Ruby then leapt into Weiss' lap and hugged her partner. "Be strong Weiss, we'll make it through this together." "Shut up," Weiss whined, "Don't touch me." The group noticed that in spite of her words, Weiss was returning the hug. "So," Blake said to Pyrrha, "Have you noticed that we haven't been attacked yet?" Pyrrha shrugged, then the duo surprised the rest of the group by not only swooping in to take advantage of Yang's trap card and take over Vacuo, but finally put a dent in Mistral. "Remind me never to get them mad," Ren said, completely shocked.

"She can be a little fire-cracker," came a familiar voice. Sure enough, Sun and Neptune had joined the group. Blake smiled as she got up and surprised Sun with a pleasant hug. Neptune smiled as he gave his partner the thumbs-up. When Blake finally let Sun go, he said, "Guys, this is my partner and best friend, Neptune Vasilias. I would have introduced him sooner but after the awesome food fight you guys had... He needed to do laundry." Neptune looked at the game and said, "Uh, aren't libraries for reading?" "That's what I said," Ren said with a frown, "But I was talked into it anyway."

"Come on, Neptune," Sun admonished, "Don't be such a nerd." "Ah-ah," Neptune retorted, "The term is intellectual." "Thank you!," Weiss said, throwing up her hands, "So, where are you from?" Neptune smiled. "Haven." He then walked over to Weiss. "I don't believe I caught your name, Snow Angel." Weiss blushed. "I'm Weiss." Sun just shook his head, then turned to Blake. "Y'know, I never took you as the board game type." "It was Ruby's idea," Blake explained, "Something to wind down during our big day of fun. Y'know, get some rest in-between 'Epic Food Fight' and 'Emerald Forest Training'."

Neptune raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you guys actually planned on having a food fight?" "Granted how it turned out was a little impromptu," Weiss said, "We had actually planned on taking all the food necessary out to the courtyard where less collateral damage would occur." "And then Weiss got hit with a pie and we wanted to avenge her," Yang chimed in. "And there was no way we were letting Nora stand against an entire team on her own," Jaune added. "So yeah," Ruby said, "Not the way I wanted it to start, but we still had our food fight. And since it was a little ahead of schedule, we now have some time to discuss our first major mission as Huntsmen and Huntresses."

* * *

Back in Team RWBY's dorm, both they and Team JNPR were going over the details of the mission given to them by Ozpin. "Just a simple observation and information gathering," Weiss noted, "Fighting should be done only if confronted with violence. Got it, Yang?" "Hey," Yang quipped, "Why single me out?" Ruby sighed. "To be fair, you are the one most likely to throw punches without asking questions." "That's not true," Yang defended, "Back at that nightclub asking questions was the first thing I did." Blake rolled her eyes. "And you still punched out the guy you were trying to get information from."

Yang shrugged. "Not like he didn't provoke me. And you're acting a lot more sociable lately. Ever since the fight at the docks." Blake sighed. "I've had a lot of weight taken off my shoulders. Not that I don't still have some things on my mind. Like for instance, the fact that the White Fang is divided. On the one hand, it explains why some of them have taken to working with a Human. On the other, it doesn't explain why they chose a known criminal, who's having them attack businesses indiscriminately." "Which is why we're on the case," Pyrrha assured her, "This is a simple mission that even first-years could handle."

"She's right," Weiss said, "Sure there's still some things that could go wrong, but not to the point that we'd be overwhelmed." Ruby's eyes then went wide. "Oh crap, I left my board game in the library. Be right back." She raced out of the dorm room, only to run right into someone. Said someone turned out to be Emerald, dressed in a Haven student uniform. She was accompanied by Mercury and Cinder. "Sorry about that," Ruby said, "Are you okay?" "Just fine," Emerald said, grinning, "But you should watch where you're going."

Ruby then noticed the different uniforms. "Oh, you're visiting students?" Cinder nodded. "Just came in from Haven." "Then you must be here for the festival," Ruby said, "But exchange students have their own dormitories." Mercury shrugged. "I guess we got turned around or something. Never been to Vale or Beacon before." "That's okay," Ruby said, "The exchange dorms should be just east of here. Anyway, I gotta grab something. Hope to see you again." Cinder smiled as she and her allies walked off. "I'm sure we will." Inside the dorm, Ren watched the exchange and narrowed his eyes.

To be continued...

 **I've noticed Ren seems to be the only member of the group without a Semblance. Don't know if Rooster Teeth planned on giving him one, but I certainly have something in mind. And for those who are complaining about me putting Ironwood in a Vale team, my idea is this. He was the first student Huntsman to emigrate to a different kingdom as part of an experiment to further unite the Kingdoms. Once it was proved that it could work, more and more students were allowed to emigrate to an academy of their choice. So yeah. Read and review.**


	13. Chapter 13: A Secret Revelation

**This next one might be shorter than some of the latest chapters, but we'll see. The biggest issue is gonna be the lack of any real fight scenes (I'm getting a little better at writing those, then again I have a point of reference). For Team JNPR's secondary outfits, Jaune is going to dress more similar to Nero, Pyrrha will have a dress not unlike Kyrie from the same video game, Nora's outfit will resemble Ultimate Marvel's Thor, and Ren will have a suit similar to Ryu Hayabusa without his headgear. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 13: A Secret Revelation

Weiss groaned as she sat in Port's class, waiting for the time to wind down and Port was regaling the class with another of his stories. Off to her right, she could see Jaune and Pyrrha whispering to each other about their date plans after their mission was completed. Weiss was glad Jaune had chosen a girl who was so obviously attracted to him instead of, say, herself. True Jaune was nice to look at, a skilled Hunstman and leader, and surprisingly smart. But he just didn't seem like her type. Maybe because he seemed like the sort of guy who would try too hard to get someone's attention under the right circumstances.

* * *

After class was finished, the two teams were suited up for their first real mission. Normally such missions would be supervised by a member of the faculty. But since this mission took place in Vale and was more about gathering info than actually fighting, they would only be monitored by local authorities from a distance. "Okay," Ruby said, "We all have our roles. Me and Weiss will be heading for the CCT to look over her family's company records for any possible inconsistencies or robberies. Blake will infiltrate one of the White Fang's meetings to try to discern what their plans are. Yang will take Nora and Ren to meet one of her old friends who knows the underworld. And Jaune and Pyrrha will go over the case notes for the previous robberies."

"We'll be meeting later tonight to go over everything we've found before handing the results over to Ozpin," Jaune noted, "Other than some possible confrontations with lower-ranked thugs, there shouldn't be too much trouble." "Alright then," Ruby said, pumping her fist, "Let's do this." "Yeah," came Sun's voice. The group turned to see him hanging upside down by his tail out the window. "How did you get up here?," Yang asked. "Easy," Sun said, "There's a big tree right outside. I climb those all the time. So, you guys hunting for information to get back at Torchwick?" "Actually, this is a Huntsman mission giving by the academy," Blake corrected, "Besides, we didn't want to get any friends involved."

Sun dismissed her comment. "That's dumb, you should always get friends involved. That's why I brought Neptune." Shocked, the girls looked out the window to see Neptune perched on a narrow ledge. "What's up?," he said, "Listen, can I come in right now? We are really high up here." After Jaune contacted his father about the new arrivals, he said, "Okay, apparently Dad's okay with you guys joining us. So, why don't we have Sun join Blake, and Neptune can join Weiss and Ruby? That should make things even as possible." Weiss figured Jaune just wanted plenty of alone time with Pyrrha, but seeing Neptune give the heiress a flirtatious wink, she realized she wasn't complaining.

* * *

A short time later, Ruby's group had reached the CCT Tower. "Wow!," Ruby said, "I had forgotten how big the Tower looks up close." "Bigger than the one in Mistral, that's for sure," Neptune said with a nod. Weiss smiled. "You should see the one in Atlas. It was the first one, after all. After the Great War, Atlas developed the Cross Continental Transit System so that the four kingdoms could easily communicate with each other." "Oh, look at me," Ruby said mockingly, "I'm Weiss Schnee. I know things. I'm rich." Neptune shook his head. "Is she always like this?" "You get used to it," Weiss said.

Ruby got out her scroll to take a picture of the Tower, but wound up dropping it in her excitement. Luckily, a familiar figure picked it up, saying, "You dropped this." When Weiss and Ruby got a look at the girl, they gasped. "Penny?," Ruby asked, "Where have you been? We haven't seen you since the night at the docks." Penny's eyes widened. "I-I'm sorry. I think you must be confused-HIC!" Fumbling Ruby's scroll, which Ruby managed to catch, Penny quickly said, "I've got to go!" And with that, she ran off. Ruby, concerned, turned to Weiss. "Can you and Neptune handle the call? I wanna see if Penny's alright." Weiss sighed, but nodded.

"Penny wait," Ruby said as she caught up with Penny, "Sorry about this. I know Jaune's dad said you got picked up by your father, but I couldn't help but get worried since we didn't even hear from you for weeks." Penny looked at the worry in her friends eyes. "Is something the matter?" Ruby nodded sadly. "We think those guys at the docks may be planning something bad. I brought it up with our academy's headmaster, and he gave us free reign to investigate by making it an official mission. The whole time I was wondering if you were alright out there." "I see," Penny said, "But let's move elsewhere. It isn't safe to talk out in the open."

* * *

Inside the CCT Tower, Weiss looked nervous as she tried her best smiles. "You shouldn't force it," Neptune said. Weiss sighed. "Sorry, I'm a little nervous. Chief Leonidas Arc suggested I talk directly with my father. On the one hand, I haven't spoken with him since I left Atlas and this will go a long way towards relieving that tension. On the other, I'm not sure how I should convince him something's wrong without him insisting on whisking me back to Atlas." Neptune shrugged. "Don't know how to help you there, but I doubt Chief Arc would make that suggestion if he didn't already work something out with your old man."

Once in the communication center for the Tower, Weiss and Neptune were directed to one of the terminals. Weiss took a deep breath as she requested to contact her father. When the image of Jacques Schnee appeared, Weiss could instantly tell her father was more nervous than her and realized what Leonidas must have done. _'Of course. Trust a police chief to use the threat of exposure of Father's less than legal business practices to keep him in line. Leonidas must have considerable pull if it actually worked.'_

'Ah, Weiss,' Jacques said, adjusting his tie, 'I was informed by General Ironwood and... Chief Arc... That you would be calling.' "Yes, Father," Weiss said, "Given the recent score of Dust robberies here in Vale, Ozpin gave my team a mission to further investigate." 'I thought that's what this was about,' Jacques said, sighing, 'I can send copies of all the relevant documents immediately. Hopefully there's something in there that can be used to prevent further damage to the company. Just be careful they don't leave Academy grounds.'

"Certainly not," Weiss said, "Though don't be surprised if Ozpin decides it necessary to keep them." Jacques nodded, grimacing. 'I'll have them sent over right away. And Weiss... I'd appreciate it if you make more social calls from now on. At the very least, you should talk more with your siblings. Winter in particular misses you greatly. Oh, and see if that young man next to you might be marriageable material.' "Trust me," Weiss said as she rolled her eyes, "Already on it." Neptune couldn't help but chuckle. Once the documents were transferred and the communication cut, Weiss breathed a sigh of relief. "That went better than expected."

* * *

Meanwhile at the Vale Police Department, Jaune and Pyrrha were going over the case files for the Dust robberies. "There's a definite pattern here," Pyrrha noted, "The first ones had the perpetrators sneak in through the back when the stores were closed. Then they came in solo from the front, as if coming in under the pretense of being customers. Before long they were coming in with more and more thugs. The last few actually showed signs of true violence." "An escalation of fear," Jaune noted, "Someone's trying to send a message while robbing Vale of an important resource. But the odd thing is, the robberies stopped after the docks incident."

"The one thing that incident had in common with the robbery Ruby stopped," Pyrrha said as she looked through the files, "Was Roman Torchwick's involvement. He's definitely responsible for even more incidents like this. The only question is, is he the mastermind, or is he working for someone else?" Jaune shrugged. "Could be either. I got the impression from what we saw of him that he could easily run an operation like this on his own if he really wanted. But at the same time he's well known, meaning someone could easily use him as a scapegoat for their operation."

* * *

Elsewhere in Vale, Ruby and Penny were walking along the street. "I don't really know much about those men," Penny admitted, "This is the first time I've been to another kingdom. My father didn't want me wandering off too far, but when I heard you and your friends might need some help..." She sighed. "You have to understand, my father loves me very much, but can get a little overprotective." Ruby rolled her eyes and smiled. "Believe me, I know the feeling. But why didn't you just contact us? Did your dad tell you not to talk to us?"

"Just the opposite," Penny said, "He was actually pleased to hear I was making friends. But General Ironwood doesn't want too many people knowing about me." The two of them then overheard a public demonstration. James Ironwood, via hologram projector, was unveiling of the Atlesian Knight-200 models. "Guess they finally decided to replace the old 130s," Ruby noted, "It's a shame, but Weiss always said Atlas is constantly trying to one-up its own technology."

Penny noted that Ruby was quite enthralled by the sight of the technological soldiers as Ironwood introduced yet another new machine via another hologram. 'While our military has believed in keeping Human soldiers off the battlefield, automatons can only go so far. And there are some things that require a Human touch. With that in mind, our greatest technicians, with cooperation from the Schnee Dust Company, are proud to produce our latest piloted battle suit... The Atlesian Paladin!" As Ruby started in awe at the giant powered armor, Penny seemed to get worried. "Maybe we should go somewhere else..."

Just then, two nearby soldiers spotted the duo. For some reason, Penny then took off running. Concerned, Ruby followed her at a rapid pace. The chase ran through the alleys, the soldiers getting delayed when a car nearly ran into them. Seeing a chance to lose them, Ruby use her Crescent Rose to cut down a scaffold holding up several boxes to block the alley, then used her Semblance to try and whisk Penny out of there. Much to her surprise, Penny proved heavier than she looked. She was only able to get several yards away before losing her grip and flailing into the nearby street.

As Ruby tried to recover, a delivery van came rolling in. Penny quickly pushed Ruby out of the van's path and, much to the shock of everyone nearby, stopped the van in its tracks. Ruby's eyes widened at a feat that should have been impossible even for a well trained Huntsman. "Penny...?" Penny looked at the driver and asked, "Are you okay?" The driver nodded, not sure what to make of the situation. Penny looked her at her hands and seemed to get nervous. By now the soldiers had caught up, but were now blocked by the crowd drawn by the event. Penny took the chance to quickly run back past Ruby and into the nearby ally, Ruby quickly trying to follow her.

"Penny, what was that?," she asked, "How on Remnant did you manage to stop that truck? The only other person I could think of who might be able to do that is Jaune, and even he'd need his Semblance!" "I...," Penny stammered, "I can't! Everything's fine-HIC! I don't want to talk about it-HIC!" Ruby, now worried, grabbed Penny by the shoulders. "Penny, please. I'm your friend. You know you can tell me anything." Penny looked at Ruby and saw how sincere she was. Sighing, she revealed the palms of her hands. Ruby gasped. The skin seemed to have been torn away, but instead of muscle and bone beneath it, there was what looked like a metal endoskeleton. "Ruby," Penny said, "I'm not a real girl." Blinking, Ruby said, "Oh."

To be continued...

 **Yep, that happened. Cliffhanger... AGAIN! More of the teams' mission in the next chapter. Read and review.**


	14. Chapter 14: Vale City Rumble

**New chapter, and following in from the previous one. Let's see how our various groups are handling their situations. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 14: Vale City Rumble

Ruby's head was still spinning. Sure Penny had metal hands, but that could mean a number of things, not simply that she wasn't real. "I don't understand." Penny sighed. "Most girls are born. But I was made. The world's first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura. That's why... I'm not real." Ruby gently took Penny's hands into her own. "But you are real. Just because you're made of steel and wire instead of flesh and guts doesn't make you not real. You have a heart, and a soul. Otherwise you couldn't generate an Aura."

Penny looked surprised at her friend's nonchalant attitude. "You're taking this extraordinarily well." "Those robots we saw earlier," Ruby replied, "Just automatons. But you're more than that." Penny smiled and grabbed Ruby into a big hug. "Oh Ruby! You're the best friend anyone could ever ask for!" Just barely able to breath, Ruby squeaked out, "I can see why your father would want to protect such a delicate flower..." Penny let Ruby go and said, "Yeah, my father is very nice. He's the one who built me. Well... He did have some help from General Ironwood."

"Was that why those soldiers were after you?," Ruby asked. Penny nodded in response. "They didn't really mean me any harm. Really, I was more worried about you. See, Ironwood doesn't want too many people knowing what I really am for fear they'd treat me like a weapon instead of a warrior. Not to mention if the technology used to make me ever got in the wrong hands..." Ruby nodded. "But your dad seems okay with you making friends." "Well," Penny said, "It's going to be up to me to save the world one day. But I still have a lot to learn. Dad wanted me to get to know as much of the world as I could, to understand what I'll be fighting for."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Save the world from what? We're in a time of peace." "Ironwood seems to think otherwise," Penny said, "And apparently he's not alone." Just then, the soldiers from before could heard approaching. Thinking quickly, Penny helped Ruby slip into a nearby garbage disposal. "Please don't tell anyone else," Penny said. Ruby gave a nod, then ducked inside. The soldiers then came up to Penny, a little out of breath. "There you are, Penny," one of them said, "Why are were running just now? And where's that other girl?" "You must have been mistaken," Penny said, "I've been by myself all day-HIC!"

The soldiers looked at each other. "I guess we may have been misinterpreting what we saw. But that was quite a scene you caused. Lucky no one got really hurt. You okay?" "Just a scratch," Penny said, showing her hands. The second soldier sighed. "Your father's not going to be happy when he hears about this. Explaining how you stopped the van will be easy, but if anyone had seen what it did to your hands... How about we take you back to him?" Penny nodded. Ruby, from her hiding spot, saw Penny leave with the soldiers and smiled. Then she promptly freaked when she heard a rat squeaking.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Yang's Bumblebee and Ren's Mushu pulled up to a local nightclub. Nora had been riding with Ren and holding on extra tight, though not so tight Ren couldn't breath. The couple regarded the club. "This the place?," Ren asked. "Yeah," Yang said, "I've only been here one other time, looking for my mom. My friend is the owner of this place and is well connected around Vale. I vaguely recall seeing Torchwick during my last visit, but he left before I could get a good look."

Inside the club, Hei Xiong, also known as Junior, looked on with pride as the club was back in working order after a certain incident. Double checking the sound equipment were his two female bodyguards, Miltiades and Melanie Malachite. Suddenly, Junior heard some scrambling as two of his henchmen rushed inside trying to close the door. "What are you doing? The club's supposed to open soon." "Well," one of the thugs said nervously, "Remember that girl who wanted to find someone?" Junior got a bad feeling just as an explosion forced the door open.

Sure enough, inside walked a familiar figure. Yang smiled at the group calling out, "Guess who's back?" As Ren and Nora came up behind her, all three of them were met with several guns pointed right at them. "Could you define 'friend' for us?," Nora asked, perturbed. "And why does it feel like these guys are nursing wounds consistent with your fighting style?," Ren quipped. That statement made the thugs lower their guns in surprise. Junior then came running up. "Blondie. Why are you here?" "Well for starters," Yang said, "I never did get the Strawberry Sunrise."

* * *

Elsewhere, Blake and Sun arrived in a small alleyway. Noting a distinctive mark of three scratches, Blake looked around the corner to see two young Faunus being escorted into by an older one into a large warehouse. "This is it," she said as she undid her bow. She then handed Sun a Grimm mask confiscated from one of the captured White Fang troops, as well as getting one for herself. "One thing I don't get," Sun said, "If these guys think they're doing the right thing, why hide your faces?" "They're meant to be a symbol," Blake explained, "Since humanity wanted to make monsters out of us, we chose to wear the faces of monsters."

"That's kinda dark," Sun noted. Blake nodded. "It was Adam's idea. More of his inner darkness. To be fair, this is one of the few times he made sense." The two of them put the masks on and easily slipped past the guard, thinking them to be new recruits. Before long, the warehouse was crowded with Faunus. On a raised platform, a Faunus Blake identified as a lieutenant addressed the crowd. "Welcome, all of you. For those of you new to our organization, allow me to introduce someone important to our operations. Let me assure you, he is very important to our cause."

Roman then came onto the platform to the sound of applause from the older members. "Thank you, one and all. Now, I'm sure you younger folk might be concerned about a Human being at this meeting. Let me assure you, I and my benefactors are committed to granting you the freedoms you've been denied for so long. Allow me to be frank, Humans are certainly the worst. Trust me, I know from experience. But we do share a common enemy. The best way to defeat that enemy is to strike at the heart of it. To those in control. Government, military, and the schools. They are the ones truly to blame for your lot in life."

As Roman rambled on, Sun subtly got Blake's attention and covertly pointed out a young girl in the background who seemed to be waiting for something. Roman gave a signal to the girl, who happened to be Neopolitan, and she had the large curtain with the White Fang symbol pulled back to reveal an Atlesian Paladin. It had been painted over and branded with the White Fang symbol. The crowd cheered at the sight of it. "You've no doubt seen some of the Atlas demonstrations showcasing this latest piece of tech," Roman said, "My employers managed to snag a few before they hit the shelves. If there's one thing Humans are good for, it's making effective weapons."

* * *

Back at the club, Junior explained what Roman was doing there the night Yang first showed up. "Guy said he needed some men for a job or something, wouldn't say what it was. He paid up front, but I made sure at least one of the guys he took would tell me what the job was when he got back. But none of them came back." "That's disconcerting," Ren noted. Yang nodded. "Have you heard anything about Roman working with anyone?" "Rumors mostly," Junior said with a shrug, "Sure he's got that sweet little number Neopolitan, but anything else..."

"Who else is there?," Nora asked after finishing her drink. "There's been some talk about him hanging around with the notorious assassin known only as Black," Junior said, "Hard to say how true that is. And some woman in red whose name nobody knows. She keeps to the shadows for the most part. Then there's the news report that he's somehow managed to get the White Fang working for him. And he also mentioned something about Emerald when he paid for the men. That's really all I got." "I guess that'll do," Yang said, "Come on guys, we should meet with the others." "Thanks for not tearing up the club this time," Junior said as the trio walked out.

* * *

Back in the warehouse, the new recruits were being led away, likely to initiation, but Sun and Blake stayed put trying to figure out how to get out of there. Luckily, their problem was solved when Sun spotted Roman looking at them like he recognized them. Seeing this, Blake aimed Gambol Shroud at a nearby fuse box and blasted it, covering the warehouse in darkness. The two of them then raced out to the nearby window as some of the White Fang troops hurried to get the power back on. By the time they did, Blake and Sun escaped. Roman quickly got in the Paladin to chase after them.

As they raced through Vale, Blake quickly got out her scroll. "Everyone, if you can hear me we need backup. Roman has stolen an Atlesian battle mech for the White Fang's use and is now chasing after us with it." At the police station, Jaune and Pyrrha looked at each other and hurried out. Ruby, having climbed out of the garbage disposal, cheered, "Aw yeah, I am not missing this." Weiss just rolled her eyes as she and Neptune left the Tower. Outside the club, Yang asked, "Where are you guys?" She, Ren, and Nora then heard Sun's screams and the stomping of the Paladin. "Over there, apparently," Nora quipped.

The two cycles raced after Roman's Paladin as he chased the two Faunus across a highway. Ren pulled up close as Nora aimed her Magnhild as close to the Paladin's center as she could, then fired off several grenades. Roman, feeling the impact from the pilot's seat, growled. Nearby, Sun spotted Neptune and Weiss racing along an upper path. Neptune brought out his guandao, which was charged with lightning Dust, and thrust it into the top of the mech. Sun, who had stopped on top of a large truck, brought his hands together and summoned twin Aura constructs that looked like him via his Semblance.

The two constructs flew at the Paladin, exploding on impact. Sun then leaped at the Paladin, which had thrown Neptune off. The two collided, but were saved from falling too far thanks to Jaune, who had arrived on his own bike Dauphin, Pyrrha riding behind him. Weiss then jumped down to where the Paladin was charging in and froze the street using Myrtenaster. Roman gasped as the Paladin slipped on the ice and fell to the lower ground, where Ruby was waiting. She was soon joined by the other nine students as Roman manged to right the Paladin.

Seeing his targets, he grinned, but RWBY and JNPR were ready. "Freezerburn!," Ruby called out. Jaune responded with, "Thunder Blossom!" Weiss froze the nearby ground as Yang leapt into the air, punching the ice and causing a fine mist. Nearby, Nora smashed the ground hard enough to kick up debris, which Ren fired at using StormFlower. With the mist obscuring the Paladin's screens, the second attack caught Roman offguard. He quickly turned on the mech's laser trackers. He briefly spotted movement and fired sparsely, but was caught off-guard when Ruby and Jaune double-teamed him, nearly sending him toppling.

Ruby then called out, "Checkmate!" While Jaune out, "Crimson Lotus!" Pyrrha held her shield over her head, which Ren used as a springboard as he fired on the Paladin's backside. Meanwhile, Weiss used her glyphs to amplify Blake's movements. Combined with her own Semblance, this let Blake easily strike at the Paladin's legs while Weiss leaped at the main guns to disable them with a quick strike. As Blake dealt with a massive missile assault, Ruby called out, "Ladybug!" Jaune, meanwhile, called out, "Phalanx!" He and Pyrrha matched Ruby and Blake's movements, shielding them from attacks as they struck at the Paladin's limbs and eventually took out one of its arms.

Yang took the chance to leap onto the Paladin's back and start firing Ember Celica. Angered, Roman put the Paladin into reverse, slamming it and Yang through several concrete pillars. He then switched the remaining arm into grapple mode and punched Yang through the last one. "Yang!," Blake called out, concerned. "She'll be fine," Ruby said, "Yang's Semblance let's her grow stronger as she takes damage. With every blow she can fight back that much harder." Sure enough, when Roman had the Paladin punch Yang again, she was able to block it almost effortlessly.

Roman growled as Yang literally punched off the Paladin's remaining arm. Angry, he had the mech kick Yang away. Quickly, Ruby called out, "Bumblebee!" Jaune, running up to the action, called out, "Steel Shock!" Nora held tight to Magnhild while Pyrrha used it, along with her Semblance, to swing Nora around and send her flying like a discus, smashing into the side of the Paladin. Meanwhile, Blake launched Gambol Shroud at Yang, who grabbed it and let Blake pull her back towards the action. Swinging around, Yang barely missed the Paladin as Roman tried to pull back.

"Come on," Sun said, "We can't let them have all the fun." Neptune nodded as he switched his guandao to assault rifle mode and opened fire, Sun moving to blast the Paladin's legs with Ruyi Bang and Jinju Bang. Seeing their chance to finish the fight, Ruby called out, "Ice Flower!" Jaune rushed alongside Ren and called out, "Dragon Knight!" Weiss used her glyphs to enhance Ruby's shots, while Jaune used his Semblance to toss Ren at the mech's legs, Ren firing all the way. The three-way assault left Roman wide open as Yang, still being swung around by Blake, came in for another shot and smashed Ember Celica into the Paladin hard enough to shatter it.

Rolling out of the broken mech, Roman dusted himself off, muttering, "Just got this thing cleaned..." Yang fired off another round in an effort to knock out Roman, only to have the shot blocked by Neopolitan and her umbrella. Seeing his chance, Roman grinned. "Ladies, gentlemen, ice queen." "Hey!," Weiss retorted. "Always a pleasure," Roman said, "Neo, if you would." Neo seemed to simply bow. The girls started to move in, but Ren stopped them. "Don't bother, they're already gone." "Huh?," Yang said, confused, "But they're right in front of us."

"Seems that way," Ren said as he approached the duo. He tapped on Neo, and to everyone's surprise both she and Roman shattered. "But looks can be deceiving." "An illusion," Ruby noted, "Ren, how did you know?" "Our team's training helped my Semblance undergo an evolution," Ren explained, "As a result, I can now sense physical detriments in both living beings and Grimm based on my current perception. Roman and his partner already started running right after the girl took her bow."

Sure enough, the sound of a Bullhead taking off was heard. On board were Roman and Neopolitan, who regarded the situation. "I think they've figured you out, Neo," Roman said. "That could be a problem," Neopolitan admitted, "If they have a good idea of my skills, it could bite us big time." Down below, the group regarded the White Fang logo on the Paladin's remains. "Ironwood is gonna blanch when he sees this," Jaune said. "Well," Sun said, "How about we hit up the nearby noodle place before you guys turn in your report?" Pyrrha walked up to Jaune. "We already have our own plans, but we'll meet you back at the academy."

* * *

Just as Jaune predicted, Ironwood did not like seeing the White Fang logo on his military's hardware. "It seems the Paladin's are still no match for a group of well-coordinated Huntsmen," he noted, "But given our enemies seem to be able to get their hands on them, I think it prudent to keep those weaknesses." Ozpin was going over the full report from Teams RWBY and JNPR, corroborated by Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias. "Their theory is Roman is acting as the face of the organization, a liaison between the real people in charge and the White Fang."

Ironwood nodded. "A solid assumption." Leonidas looked through the report. "The assassin Black was found dead months ago, yet the rumors that Roman is working with him are recent. Perhaps someone took on his title." "Ozpin," Ironwood said, "Even I can admit this still isn't enough information to mobilize any sort of counter-offensive." Ozpin nodded. "Indeed. But it at least gives us insight into our enemies' movements and plans. Look here, Lie Ren made a small footnote. Three individuals found in the dorms, claiming to be from Haven Academy, but Ren noted they felt older." The four former team members looked at each other and Leonidas sighed. "They're trying to infiltrate us."

To be continued...

 **I wanted to give Ren a good Semblance that would compliment his team. And I hope the idea of making this little escapade a real mission was a good choice. Plus, I hope you like the team attack names I gave JNPR. Read and review.**


	15. Chapter 15: Interim

**Okay, this chapter might be a little short. Also, I got a stupid troll review earlier. Rather than dignify the slander it spread, I took advantage of the fact that the reviewer hadn't logged in and deleted it. Haven't done that since my very first story. Haters gonna hate, but I prefer constructive criticism to destructive. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 15: Interim

Blake and Sun watched as Pyrrha and Jaune seemed to dance together during their practice match against Team CRDL. The four guys had certainly improved since the Forever Fall incident, but it was clear against Beacon's penultimate "Battle Couple", they still had a ways to go. As the fight wound down, Cardin thought he had Jaune deadlocked when his mace blocked Jaune's Roseus Ignis. Then Jaune smirked as Cardin heard a familiar click. _'Oh yeah,'_ Cardin thought, _'Forgot about his revolver...'_ A quick Dust round to Cardin's gut ended the match.

"Jeez," Cardin said, "Maybe I should bulk up my Aura a bit. Those shots kick like a mule." "I don't even want to know how he knows that," Sun quipped. Glynda walked up to the students. "That was very excellent work you two. With progress like that, you should have no problem qualifying for the tournament. Now, we have enough time for one last match, if anyone would care to volunteer." Glynda spotted Mercury and Emerald raising their hands. "Very well," she said, "Will you be facing each other, or would you like a different opponent?"

Mercury smirked. "Actually, there's a couple of good opponents already in the ring." Jaune and Pyrrha raised their eyebrows at each other. Glynda seemed as stoic as ever, but she remembered Ren's report about these two and their "teammate" Cinder. "Very well." She figured this would be a good chance to get a good idea of how these two fought, and any potential Semblance they may have. The two pairs looked at each other, before Glynda gave the signal to begin. Mercury immediately singled out Pyrrha while Emerald tried fighting Jaune.

During the fight, Ruby noticed something interesting. "Check it out. He's blocking Emerald without even looking at her. But at the same time it's like he can't even see her." Emerald had also noticed this. She was already using her Semblance, which let her manipulate a person's perception, and while Jaune did seem to be affected it was clear he realized it. She brandished her gun sickles to move in for another strike, but Jaune's Semblance blocked her easily. Meanwhile, Mercury was firing off the revolver chambers in his boots, which Pyrrha was able to block with Akouo before dragging him to the ground by his weapon using her Semblance.

Before long the covert agents had to give up. Glynda couldn't help but smirk. "Perhaps next time you'll consider different opponents," she said as she made a few notes, "Now that's all for today. Don't forget the dance is this weekend, and you will be given your first mission on Monday." Team RWBY sighed. Their "first" mission, while sanctioned, was off academy records, so this would be their first official mission. As the students filed out, Mercury and Emerald met with Cinder. "What did you make of them?" "Jaune seems to be able to notice my Semblance," Emerald noted, "It affected him, but he acted as if he knew it was affecting him."

"That's an Arc family trait," Cinder said with a nod, "They possess a sixth sense, one not related to Aura, that let's them foresee danger. We should give Jaune as wide a berth as possible. What of Pyrrha?" "She uses her Semblance more than we anticipated," Mercury said, "Hard to say if it caused her to notice my... Condition." Cinder rubbed her chin. "We must use caution around her. She's vital to our plans." Meanwhile, as Team RWBY left for their dorms, Sun spoke with Blake. "So Blake, about the upcoming dance. If it's alright, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind being my date." "That's sounds nice," Blake said, "It'll give me some time to relax."

"A lot on your mind?," Sun asked, smirking. Blake nodded sadly. "While we know more about the movements of the White Fang now, Adam's the one I'm really worried about. He doesn't take deserters well, always has them labelled as traitors. Until we know where he is and what he's doing, I don't think I'll ever feel truly safe." She then surprised Sun by hugging him. "But you definitely make me feel close enough." Sun returned the hug as he spotted Blake teammates smiling and generally approving of the situation.

* * *

On the balcony, Jaune and Pyrrha were having a quick sparing match. Jaune was talking about his own perspective as opposed to what the recordings were showing. "I definitely felt Emerald coming from the angels she did," he said, "But I saw her coming from elsewhere entirely." "That's not the only strange thing," Pyrrha said, "When I was pulling at Mercury's weapon, it felt like I was pulling much more. Almost like his entire leg was made of metal." The two stopped for a second to take a break.

"Well," Jaune said after taking a drink from their water supply, "Getting back to lighter things, we have the school dance coming up. Now, I probably already know the answer to this, but I was wondering if you'd be my date for that evening." Pyrrha giggled as she pecked Jaune on the cheek. "Do you seriously even need to ask?" Jaune just shrugged. "I thought it would be polite." The two shared a quick kiss before heading inside the dorms, their thoughts turning to that wonderful evening.

* * *

In the exchange dorms, Cinder and her allies reviewed the earlier fight. "They fight almost like they're dancing with each other," she noted, "Anticipating each others moves. And even when separated they are formidable." "We really should be avoiding them both," Emerald said, "What makes Pyrrha so important?" "She is a symbol," Cinder explained, "A woman destined for victory. That will make it all the more devastating when we bring it all crashing down around her. Jaune Arc is the only thing that could stand in our way, but as we've seen, confronting him is dangerous. But there is way to do it without him realizing. And the tournament is the key to it all."

To be continued...

 **The villains plot, but the heroes are looking down their noses. Thumbs up if you get my meaning. Read and review.**


	16. Chapter 16: At Both Ends

**I know lots of people want me to use the characters' knowledge to stop a few things. However, I need to keep some things for drama's sake. Oh some things will be prevented, but others will not. Plus, while Jaune and Pyrrha know about Mercury and Emerald's hidden traits, they don't yet know if they're truly enemies. Yes, Ren was able to determine that they were older than they appeared, but that could mean a number of things. Remember these are still students, and while they can go to the teachers with this info, they two are tied down by the same issues. Which will be discussed in this chapter. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 16: At Both Ends

Ozpin looked at the files for the three students, Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury. Their team name was supposedly MACE, but the fourth member had yet to appear. Haven confirmed they did have a Team MACE, but their records had recently been hit with some sort of virus and they needed time to remove it and check their files. Leonidas came in as Ozpin was lost in thought. "Lien for your thoughts Ozzy?," he asked. Ozpin smirked. "You haven't called me that since graduation. Just contemplating whether these three could be agents of our enemies. And if they are, can we prove it before their plans are too far along?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Ruby was sitting around in the auditorium. As she was thinking, Weiss came over with a couple of tablecloths. "Ruby, which do you think would be better for the dance?" Ruby looked, and raised her eyebrow when she saw they looked identical. Weiss sighed when she saw her partners reaction. "They look the same, don't they. My sister recommended them, saying a discerning eye would tell the subtle differences. You've got to have the most discerning eye I know, so if you can't tell the difference, how can anyone else?" Ruby smirked. "How about using them both?" The two of them were silent for a while before they began giggling.

"Oh yeah," Weiss said as she sat down, "I almost forgot to ask. Back at the Emerald Forest during our initiation, you mentioned that your mother was dead." "Her name was Summer," Ruby said sadly, "If I showed you a picture of her, you could easily mistake her for me. Years ago when I was very young, she went out on a mission... And she never came back. When I was finally old enough to comprehend that she had died, I was devastated. I don't know if she'd approve of me becoming a Huntress like she was, but this is the path I chose."

She looked at Weiss. "Okay, I've revealed a bit of my history. So, in exchange, how did you get that scar?" She pointed to the thin scar over Weiss' left eye. "Not much to say about that," Weiss said, "It was during a portion of my training. Dad had commissioned some giant suit of armor that was made to move. Blasted thing hit hard enough to break through my Aura long enough to leave this. Despite what my father wanted, I chose to keep it as a mark of distinction." Ruby snickered. "Jeez, you never let anything keep you down, do you?"

"By the way," Yang said as he dropped a large speaker nearby, "Did you pick out your dress yet?" "I thought we were picking them out together," Ruby said, "Blake said she wanted our opinion. Something about attracting a certain someone?" Yang snickered. "She's going to try and seduce Sun? Our Blake? I know she's gotten better about socializing lately, but I never took her for being so forward." "Well excuse me for wanting to live a little," Blake said out of nowhere, making Yang jump and the other two girls to giggle.

* * *

Meanwhile at their dorm, Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald were going over their plans. "The dance is tomorrow," Cinder began, "And most of the security is going to be there. Ironwood is such a stickler when it comes to that sort of thing. Emerald, make sure to keep an eye on the General, and only contact me when he leaves. If we get spotted at any point, it's going to cause problems." "Think you can do stealth?," Mercury quipped. Cinder huffed. "I'll have you know that I made sure no one important from our enemies saw my face. That alone gives us a huge advantage."

* * *

Back in the RWBY dorm, Blake closed out her research and sighed. "Done for the day?," Yang asked. Blake nodded. "As glad as I am that Ozpin is taking this seriously and looking into it, I just feel like more can be done. But Leo mentioned it wasn't a good idea to move too fast in trying to find answers." Yang looked sad. "Believe me, I can understand that. It's never a good idea to let an obsession take over your life. It won't just destroy you, but those around you who care about you. Take me for example." Blake raised a curious eyebrow as Yang began her tale.

"See, me and Ruby grew up on the island of Patch, just outside Vale. Dad taught at Signal and Mom, or rather Ruby's mom, was a Huntress. And she was, like, Supermom. She baked cookies and slaughtered Grimm. After that fateful mission where she didn't come back, I think Dad took it the hardest. I then learned that Summer wasn't Dad first love. It turns out, me and Ruby are half-sisters, and my mom is Dad's first love, Raven. I don't know the whole story, but I do know that the two of them had been on a team with Summer and Uncle Qrow, known as STRQ."

"What happened to Raven?," Blake asked. Yang shrugged. "She just left me with Dad after I was born. No one's seen her since. To this day I don't why she just left me like that. But when I was younger, I wanted to find out at any cost. One day I found what I thought was a vital clue. I waited until my Dad was out, then put Ruby in a cart and started following the clue. I must have walked for hours. Unfortunately, when we finally arrived, there was nothing but Grimm holed up in an abandoned barn. If not for Uncle Qrow's timely intervention, we'd be dead right now."

Blake wiped a few tears from her eyes as she hugged Yang. "That must have the worst feeling huh?" Yang nodded as she returned the hug. Once they parted, she said, "The worst part of it was, I'm still not sure why I brought Ruby along. I guess I was hoping my mother would be there, and I could introduce my little sister to her. I put Ruby in unnecessary danger." "But you still haven't given up looking for her?," Blake asked. "Heck no," Yang said, "But I won't let my search control my life. Not when it almost ended it."

* * *

Meanwhile, Neptune had gotten Jaune's attention in one of the hallways. "Okay," Neptune said, a little nervous, "It's like this. Weiss actually wants me to go to the dance with her." Jaune raised an eyebrow. "What's the problem with that? You're not gonna say no, are you?" Neptune shook his. "Hardly. She's the first girl who's actually responded positively to my flirting. You think I'm gonna waste that?" He sighed. "But... I can't dance... And as someone in a relationship, I was wondering if you could give me some advice here."

Jaune smirked. "Wow... Never thought I'd see the day. Look, just be upfront about it. The worst that could happen is that Weiss has you learn on the fly." Neptune blinked. "Are you sure that's okay? I mean, I'd like to keep my cool image." Jaune put a hand on Neptune's shoulder. "Trust me, cool is something subjective. And real men are upfront with their faults. You'll look a lot cooler to Weiss if you're honest with her. Girls like honesty, let's them know they trust a guy." Neptune took a deep breath. "Okay... I'll try it. Hope you're right about this."

* * *

The night of the dance, Ruby arrived wearing a rather lovely gown, which her sister noticed as she entered. "Oh, look at how much my baby sister is growing up!" Ruby sighed. "The dress is nice... But I could do without the heels." She then saw all the dancing couples, and laughed at Weiss taking the lead with Neptune. "Yeah," Yang said, "Neptune actually said he couldn't dance, so Weiss took it upon herself to teach him." The sisters then saw Blake laughing as she danced with Sun. Their eyes then turned to Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Look at them," Ruby said, "If not for the fact that they don't have their weapons, I'd swear they were in another training match." "Well," Ozpin said as he walked up to the girls, "There's not much difference between dancing and fighting. Of course, a mistake on the dance floor merely leads to a swollen foot." He walked off, and Yang and Ruby looked at each other. "I never thought I'd say this," Ruby said, "But maybe we should start looking for boyfriends." Meanwhile, Emerald and Mercury entered the dance hall. "Okay," Mercury said, "Time to put our dance practice to good use."

To be continued...

 **So the party's started and everyone's having a good time. But trouble's lurking in the background. Things are starting to heat up. Read and review.**


	17. Chapter 17: Assumption

**When last we left the dance was underway. And, shock and gasp, Ruby actually contemplated getting a boyfriend. Now before we begin, I'd like to clarify something. People... There is no "right" way to write a story. I've seen plenty of writers who use the same style I do, and honestly, the way you keep saying I "should" be writing is confusing for me to read. And as long as there are people who can and do read and understand my story, I'll keep writing like this. Finally, there will a lemon scene in this chapter. It's rated M for a reason, people. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 17: Assumption

As the party got into full swing, there were several surprised looks as Velvet asked Cardin for a quick dance. "A little bird suggested you might think I'm cute," she said sweetly. Cardin nervously tugged at his collar. "Oh really. Which one?" He cast a look at his teammates who were already with their own dates. Blake was most surprised when she saw Cardin accept with no problem. "Well, every Human has the chance to change." On the other side of the dance hall, Glynda had accepted a dance with Ironwood, to which both Ozpin and Leonidas thought, _'It's about time.'_

Ruby sighed as she saw her friends all paired up. The only person she knew who wasn't, and she was really surprised by this considered, was Yang. "Let me guess," came a male voice from nearby, "Socially awkward too?" She looked over to see a young man who looked to be a wolf Faunus. "Oh, yeah. It's just I'm the only one out of my friends who doesn't have a date tonight. Well, except for my sister, which really surprises me since she's practically a social butterfly and has a body most guys drool over." She pointed over to Yang, and the young man nodded in realization.

"I'm Ruby, by the way," Ruby said, "Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY." The young man chuckled. "Wow. Whichever academy head came up with that must not be very imaginative. Shade excluded, since that's where I'm from. Name's Sydney Wolfe, leader of Team SLVR." Ruby giggled at Sydney's comment. "Okay, that was an awkward thing to say. What if I had been from Shade? I mean, I'm not. I'm actually from here at Beacon, but still." Sydney laughed as he facepalmed. "Man... I did not think of that. Guess we are both a little awkward." Ruby smiled at the young man. "So, do you know how to dance?"

Yang soon spotted her little sister with Sydney. When Ruby spotted Yang, she excitedly pointed at her new date and smiled. _'Wow,'_ Yang thought, _'Not half an hour after she figures it may be time to go boyfriend hunting and she finds one. I wonder what Dad would say about this?'_ Back on the dance floor, Pyrrha found herself amazed by Jaune's dance moves. "I had no idea you'd be such a wonderful dancer," she noted. Jaune smiled. "Grew up with seven sisters, remember? Things like these tend to happen." Meanwhile, on an upper balcony, Emerald and Mercury surveyed the party.

Speaking into a hidden mic, Emerald contacted Cinder. "Looks like all the dancers have partners." 'Good,' Cinder replied, 'How long do I have?' Mercury though for a second. "You should probably return before midnight just to be safe." Outside Cinder nodded. "I'll keep my eye on the clock." She hurried along the rooftops, not noticing that Ruby and Sydney had stepped out for some fresh air. Ruby was the first to spot the mysterious intruder, though Sydney wasn't too long behind her. They carefully followed her all the way to the Tower. Once they saw her silently take out a guard, they knew something was wrong.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jaune and Pyrrha decided to return to their dorm for a while. It wasn't because they were tired, but their dance had really gotten Pyrrha in the mode for something far more intimate. It didn't take long to convince her boyfriend, Jaune already having a good idea what this was about thanks to certain talks with his older sisters. "I was worried you'd be more reluctant," Pyrrha said. "I never said I wasn't," Jaune replied, "But because of the nature of our work, Huntsmen and Huntresses tend to do these sort of things young."

He removed his suit as Pyrrha removed her dress, making the young Huntsman blush. "Woah, panties but no bra?" Pyrrha giggled as she joined Jaune on his bed. "It would have been noticeable giving how tight my dress was." They kissed as Jaune gently fingered Pyrrha's nipples, moving one of his hands a little lower. The red-head gasped as Jaune gently stroked her entire crotch, sending shockwaves throughout her body. In turn she reached down to his crotch, where she felt how big her partner had gotten. Gently she began stroking Jaune, causing him to hiss from the contact.

Before long Pyrrha found herself on her back with Jaune hovering over her, a hungry look in his eyes. As he slowly entered Pyrrha, the two locked lips and kissed deeper than they ever had before. Pyrrha's hips bucked as she felt Jaune's full force enter her, and she wrapped her arms and legs around him, determined not to let him go until they were finished. More and more they matched their movements, as easily as when they danced or when they fought side-by-side. As the two of them reached their climax, Pyrrha found herself screaming in ecstasy before the two of them slumped down in bed, staring into each others and smiling.

* * *

Back at the Tower, Cinder was dispatching the guards inside using her blade bow and natural fighting skills. As she headed up using the elevator, Ruby and Sydney had called in their Rocket Lockers. Ruby retrieved her Crescent Rose, and her boots so she could fight better, and Sydney got out what looked like a folded up exoskeleton. "What's that?," she asked. "My Midnight Howl," Sydney explained, "It infuses whatever clothing I'm wearing with a layer of Dust meant to enhance my natural Faunus abilities. Combined with my Semblance it makes a vicious combination."

In the main lobby of the Tower, Cinder had used the Scroll from a fallen guard to access the mainframe and was working on it when a call from Emerald. 'Ironwood's just left the party.' Cinder smiled as a black chess queen symbol appeared on the monitor she was working. "Good timing. I just finished up. I'll see you back at the party." Just then she heard the elevator start to open and moved into hiding. For a while she didn't hear anything, then gasped when she heard a deep growling. She turned and jumped back at the sight of a giant golden wolf.

It was, in fact, Sydney using his Semblance. Right next to him was Ruby, already brandishing her Crescent Rose. She looked carefully at Cinder, who was glad she was wearing a mask. "You look kinda familiar," Ruby said, "Oh well, if you're sneaking into the Tower and taking out guards, you've gotta be a bad guy. Ready, Sydney?" The wolf nodded and leapt at Cinder, who dodged out the way and readied her bow blades. A click was heard within Sydney's Semblance form, and the wolf seemed to suddenly breath a gust of wind that blew Cinder back a bit.

"That should have done more," Sydney said as Cinder combined her blades and fired off a few arrows. The duo split up as Ruby fired off several blasts from Crescent Rose before using another to rush in. Sydney dashed in from the other side, leaving Cinder to roll forward to avoid them both. Before she could make another move, the elevator opened again. Sydney immediately rushed forward, catching Cinder off-guard and knocking her backwards long enough for Ironwood to catch a glimpse of her. Before he could move for his own weapon, Cinder seemingly disappeared.

* * *

Cinder just barely made it back to the party before the guards Ironwood called could find her trail. She distracted the few who showed up by obliging some random male student a dance. Once it was finished, she rejoined Mercury and Emerald. "What happened?," Mercury said, "You look frazzled." "I was spotted by Ironwood," Cinder explained, "I doubt he recognized me thanks to my mask distracting him enough to assume I was wearing a full disguise." Her allies looked at each other. "But I thought you were finished," Emerald said, "What held you up?"

"Turns out one of loving couples of the evening decided to head outside for air," Cinder replied, "Probably spotted me on the rooftops and thought something was amiss. One of them was a person of interest, Ruby Rose. I don't know who the other is but he possessed what I'm assuming is a Semblance capable of transforming him into a giant wolf. He may possibly be a Faunus since he was able to detect me despite how well I hid myself, but I don't know for sure. The important thing is our work at the Tower is complete. And by the time our job is done, they'll still be trying to figure out what happened."

* * *

Back at the Tower, Leonidas was going over the CCT mainframe while speaking with Ruby and Sydney. "Not sure who she was," Ruby said, "I mean, her hairstyle seemed familiar, but she was wearing a mask so it could have been a wig." "Lucky you were able to distract her long enough for Ironwood to show up," Leonidas noted, "Now we know something may be wrong with the CCT." He typed in a few more commands and frowned. "This for instance..." A little bit of working had popped up the same black chess queen symbol from before.

To be continued...

 **For those of you who don't know fairy tales, Sydney Wolfe is indeed supposed to be based off the Big Bag Wolf. And Ruby Rose is Red Hiding Hood. And she's found her love interest. Think about that... Also I hope you guys can get the meaning behind the chapter title just by reading it. But yeah, next episode is where shit really hits the fan. The big mission is coming up. Read and review.**


	18. Chapter 18: The Expedition

**The introduction of a fan-favorite character from the show is in this chapter. Also, there may be some RWBY fans who are confused that Velvet was at the party since canonically she and her team were still stuck on a mission. I'll explain that this chapter. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 18: The Expedition

"I can't understand how you're both being so calm about this," Ironwood said when Ozpin and Glynda received word of the incident. Instead of what he was expecting, Ozpin seemed rather casual about the affair. Ozpin realized this was one of the things that went wrong last time and decided to diffuse the situation. "You seem to be under a misconception, Ironwood. I am concerned, deeply concerned. But not everyone reacts to these situations the same way you do. After all, blind panic never did any good to anyone. Which is essentially what your plan boils down to."

Ironwood seemed to calm down and raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean?" "It's simple," Ozpin said as he sipped his coffee, "Our alliance works by exposing the world's enemies and then defeating them. But to do that we must provide proof that there is an enemy to fight. Now let's look at what information we have, and pose some hypotheticals. Say we attack the White Fang at where we know their base resides. It could only aggravate the group as a whole, confirm their misconceptions about Humans, drive them to mass recruitment, and compound our current problems with them."

"That's a possibility even if the information about the rift in the organization is true," Leonidas noted. Ozpin nodded. "Now, say we go on a massive manhunt for Roman Torchwick. It would seem to the people that we were obsessing over what they believe to be just another thief and con-artist. He would use this to his advantage and we'd likely never catch him, or if we did, he could easily get himself freed by claiming police brutality." Ironwood sighed, beginning to understand. "Fair enough, but what about our mysterious infiltrators?"

Ozpin shook his head. "There's still no word from Haven in regards to Team MACE. Ren's Semblance gives us a little insight, but that alone is not proof. And both Ruby Rose and Sydney Wolfe admit that while the mysterious intruder at the Tower resembled Cinder Fall, it could just as easily have been a disguise. Any attempts to detain the three of them could result in an international incident." He looked at Ironwood. "Tell me, General, are your forces getting a little antsy?"

There were snickers from Leonidas, and Glynda rolled her eyes in amusement. Ironwood let out a heavy sigh. "I told them there was a possibility of trouble while in Vale. The tension has been somewhat relieved by the order to retrieve all second-year and higher students from their missions in time for the school dance, but beyond that..." "I understand your concerns," Ozpin said, "But we still don't know enough about our enemy's plans. For all we know this situation could extend beyond Vale." "Very well," Ironwood said, "But at the same time we cannot be too slow to act, or our enemies will catch us with our pants down."

"About that," Leonidas said, "My best code crackers have isolated the programming of the virus implanted in the CCT. Once we've run it through an isolated network, we can get a good idea about our infiltrator's plans. We might even be able to find ways to cut off its access to vital systems." "Can we not simply shut down the CCT until the virus is expunged?," Ironwood asked. Leonidas nodded. "Sure. A system reboot would certainly rid us of the virus almost instantly, and we can avoid mass panic by disguising it as routine maintenance. But there's a catch."

Ironwood raised an eyebrow. "You see," Leonidas explained, "If we simply shut down the CCT, we reveal to whoever planted the virus, most likely our enemies, that we're on to them. And they'll simply use another opportunity to infiltrate a Tower." "There'd be no other chance like that," Ironwood said, "Not even during the tournament." Leonidas shook his head. "Once again, James, you misunderstand. I didn't say 'the Tower' as if referring to the one in Vale, I said 'a Tower' as in any of the four Towers. The way the CCT is set up, a virus in any of the Towers could infect the whole network." He placed a hand on Ironwood's shoulder. "This isn't the Geat War. Our enemies aren't going to expose themselves until they know they've won. Try to remember that."

* * *

Meanwhile at Team RWBY's dorm, Ruby was excitedly telling the girls about Sydney. "And we met at the punch bowl and we got to talking and the next thing we know we're dancing and we decided to step out for a little bit and saw that woman sneaking into the Tower and Sydney is really awesome in a fight and we actually kissed when we got back to the party and I called Dad about it and he got to talking about birds and bees for some reason but I think he's okay with Sydney and do you think all guys from Vacuo are like that?"

The others girls just blinked as they tried to process what Ruby just said. Weiss was the first to speak up. "You kissed a Faunus!?" Blake then blinked. "You kissed a Faunus...?" "Weiss just said that," Ruby replied, "And what's the big deal? I never cared about the whole 'Human versus Faunus' debate anyway. I mean, for starters, Grimm never discriminate between the two races, so why should we discriminate against each other?" Weiss blinked. "I never thought of that before." Blake finally shook herself. "Anyway, I don't know if we can use just Sun and Sydney as a basis for what people in Vacuo are like."

Yang just stood there for a while, staring at her little sister, with what looked like tears welling up in her eyes. It quickly turned out they were tears of joy as she happily grabbed Ruby in another big hug. "Oh, my baby sister is all grown up and discovering relationships! No wonder Dad decided to give you some advice!" "Whoa, whoa, Yang, easy," Ruby said, "I'm excited too, but I still don't know if this relationship will last. For starters, Sydney lives in another kingdom altogether. And while I'm okay with being with a Faunus, there's no telling how other people will react."

"Aw, it'll be okay," Yang said, "Oh, speaking of Dad, he sent us something." Ruby then got super excited. "Oh, something from home!" Yang opened the cylindrical package, dropping something grayish-black, furry, and moving. The object soon popped up to reveal it was a black and white corgi. The tiny dog regarded the four girls and barked a greeting, causing them to react differently. Ruby, now really excited, called out, "Zwei!" As she scooped the little puppy up, Weiss asked, "Your dad sent us a dog in the mail?"

Yang shrugged. "He does stuff like this all the time." Blake, who had suddenly gotten onto Ruby's higher bunk, asked, "Your father or your dog?" "Come on Blake," Yang said, "Zwei's great with normal cats, I'm sure he won't mind a cat-girl." Blake tentatively got down and regarded Zwei, who gave her a good natured lick on the cheek, causing her to blush. "I guess I could get used to him..." Weiss lowered her head to meet Zwei's and narrowed her eyes as the dog regarded the heiress. "Are you telling me this mangy... Drooling... Mutt... Is going to wiv wif us foreva? Oh, yes he is, yes he is."

She started scratching Zwei behind the ears as Ruby chuckled. "Yeah, he has that effect on everyone." Just then Glynda's voice came in over the intercom. 'Will all first-year students please report to the auditorium?' "Well, we can't leave him here while we're gone for the week," Weiss noted, seeing Zwei had taken to snuggling against Blake's leg. Yang dug through the package until she found a note from her and Ruby's father. "Dear girls, I'll be gone from the island for a while, so I'm leaving Zwei in your care. Included is all the food he'll need. Love you both, Taiyang."

At the sound of "food", Zwei immediately moved over to Yang as she somehow dumped out several dozen cans of dog food and a can opener. "Well, I guess that settles that. Come on girls, Zwei will be here when we get back." As the girls left one-by-one, Weiss taking extra time as she got in a few final cuddles, Ruby suddenly got an idea and got a rather large backpack out of the closet. As she left, the backpack now full, she was spotted by Team JNPR. Pyrrha, still a little dazed from her and Jaune's passion-filled night, rubbed her eyes thinking she was still a little sleepy. _'I can't believe I thought Ruby brought a dog to school.'_

* * *

Ruby set her bag down as Ozpin began a grand speech. "We stand here with students from all four kingdoms. Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo, and Vale. It has been eighty years to the day that the Great War was ended, a war that was fought for much more than territorial rights. It was a war against those that sought to end individuality. Forces that sought to end who we are as people, and bring an end to our vast culture. When the war ended, a new trend started that continues to this day. A vast majority of people since the war have taken to naming their children after colors, the most important driving force behind art and culture. All of us has a name that relates back to color, some obvious, others obscure. Our forefathers' way of spiting those that tried to take our culture from us."

He continued for a while, before motioning to Teams RWBY and JNPR. They followed him over to one of the missions boards, and they soon realized they were joined by four other teams. Not only did they see Team CRDL, but Sun and his team, Team SSSN were there. Besides Neptune, there was also Scarlet David and Sage Ayana. Penny's team, Team CPPR, was also there. Her teammates were Rigel Morningstar, Pura Nautica, and their leader Ciel Soleil. Finally, Sydney was there with his team, Team SLVR. His teammates were Lionel Raye, Viridian Iwamoto, and Rasaki Zangyack.

Ruby noticed that Team SSSN was all male, though Sun was the only Faunus. Team CPPR had Rigel as its only male and Faunus, a bear specifically. Team SLVR was equal parts male and female, Lionel being the only other male, and consisted of all Faunus. Just as Sydney was a wolf, Lionel appeared to be a rhino, Viridian a lion, and Rasaki a reindeer. Ozpin addressed the five teams. "As you've no doubt noticed, we have teams from all four kingdoms here. Yes, Vale has three teams present, but that is simply because Teams RWBY and JNPR seem to share a particular dynamic. That said, Team CRDL, Sydney from Team SLVR, Penny from Team CPPR, and both Sun and Neptune from Team SSSN also share some of that dynamic."

He adjusted his glasses. "While for all of you this will be your first official mission, I must confess that I had been given permission to allow Teams RWBY and JNPR an off-the-records mission. Don't get too excited, it was a simple information gathering mission." "Not sure I'd really call it simple...," Sun muttered, remembering the incident with the Paladin. "Thanks to that mission," Ozpin stated, "We have word of certain illicit activities occurring in the southeast of Vale. As it happens, one of our Search and Destroy missions will be taking place there. Ordinarily this would not be a mission for a first year team. However, I have spoken with the Vale Council and they agreed that several first year teams working together is another matter."

Ruby blinked several times, not sure if Ozpin was suggesting what she thought he was. "That said," Ozpin finished, "Since the rule is that each of you will be shadowing a Hunstman during this mission, we have several volunteers from our own faculty agreeing to lead you on this mission, as well as at least one coming out of retirement." He smiled as the six teams left for the courtyard. Outside, the group saw Glynda, along with Peach, Oobleck, Port, and Ironwood. Jaune then noticed. "Wait, there's only five Huntsmen for six teams. Where's the sixth?" He got his answer when he father arrived, decked out in his old Hunstman gear. Leonidas smiled at the students stunned faces. "Right here."

To be continued...

 **Yep, we have a massive team crossover here. This will give me a chance to explore a little more on certain canon characters, and give insight to some of the original characters I've made for this fic. Sydney's name can relate back to Sydney, Australia, which can conjure images of the color gray due to the Sydney Opera House. Lionel contains lion, rather ironic since he's a rhino Faunus, which brings the color yellow to mind. Viridian should be obvious. Pura is a play off purpura, the Latin word for purple. By the same note Rasaki is a play on murasakino, the Japanese word for purple. Rigel is the name of a star, which primarily brings the color white to mind. Next episode the mission begins. Read and review.**


	19. Chapter 19: Seeker Trip

**I'd like to clarify something before we begin. Leonidas' wife, Gale Arc, is NOT dead. Just in case there was any confusion. She was, after all, shown in the very first chapter, we just didn't know her name. I didn't even plan on naming Jaune's parents at first, or his sisters for that matter. But eventually I thought it would be interesting to bring at least Jaune's father into the picture, which meant naming him. After that I decided why not name his wife. Later we'll be getting names for Jaune's sisters, but that's further down the road. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 19: Seeker Trip

Jaune was still shocked by what he was seeing. He had seen videos of his father's previous glory days as a Huntsman before his mother got a crippling injury, which led to Leonidas joining the police force of Vale. But he never thought his dad would ever go back to those old days. Leonidas just smiled at the groups bewilderment. "I can understand your surprise. Personally, I never expected to go back to a Huntsman's life again. But current circumstances being what they are, we're going to need the best. I just hope I haven't gotten rusty over the years. For those of you who are confused, we'll be explaining on the way. Oobleck, if you would begin?"

"And for Dust sake," Ironwood said, "Try to tone down the speed of your speech." "Very well," Oobleck said, although he still spoke at a rather hyper rate, "As you are all aware we will heading for the southeast quadrant of Vale. After confirming the situation of the region we will be clearing space for our base camp. That said, we will only be bringing enough essentials to last us for at least a week. In the event of separation, Team RWBY will be answering to myself, Team JNPR to Professor Peach, Team CRDL to Miss Goodwitch, Team CPPR to General Ironwood, Team SLVR to Professor Port, and Team SSSN to Chief Arc. Further details will be given en route, so please save any and all questions for the trip."

* * *

Later the group was sitting inside the extra-large Bullhead, normally used by military squadrons. As they approached the sight, Ironwood gave an explanation of the mission parameters. "Very few people know this, but the peace our kingdoms currently enjoy is in danger of being shattered. A shadow organization is the real driving force behind recent criminal events. They've somehow garnered the assistance of White Fang, possibly causing a rift in the group, and have gained allies in the known criminal mastermind Roman Torchwick and the mysterious assassin Black, as well as at least one other unknown."

He brought up a map of the southeast Vale region. "Officially our mission is to seek out Grimm nests in Mountain Glenn, widely known to be Vale's greatest failure. An attempt at expansion, the region sadly lacked the natural defenses of Vale proper and was eventually overrun by Grimm. However, before that happened a series of natural caves within the region were retrofitted and expanded to provide safe passage between the two regions. If the Grimm were ever to locate it, it would quickly allow them to bypass Vale's walls. So every year, Huntsman are sent in to thin the numbers."

Cardin raised his hand. "Question, what does that have to do with these enemies you're talking about?" "An excellent question, Mr. Winchester," Ironwood said, "And it has to do with the real purpose behind our mission. Though it has taken some persuasion, the Vale Council has agreed that since Mountain Glenn has become an excellent place for an enemy hideout, it should be thoroughly investigated. In fact, recent investigations suggest that a White Fang cell is currently hiding there as we speak. For what purpose, we have yet to determine." He placed his hands behind his back. "As of this moment you are all being made Junior members of a secret cabal that has protected Remnant's peace from the shadows since the Great War ended. This is a huge responsibility, one not to be taken lightly."

The students all blinked. Finally Sun spoke up. "And here me and my team were hoping to tour Vale without stuff blowing up." The pilot of the Bullhead then got everyone's attention. "Looks like we've arrived," Peach said, "Everyone check your packs and get ready for landfall." They got their bags strapped and got out their weapons in case of confrontation upon exiting. Both sides of the Bullhead opened, and in groups of two the teams departed, first RWBY and JNPR, then SLVR and CRDL, and finally SSSN and CPPR. Their Hunstmen chaperons disembarked as well.

The team looked around the landing site as the Bullhead departed, ready to return at a moment's notice if things were looking dicey. The entire city looked desolate, mixing unfinished construction projects and destroyed buildings. Oobleck took a sip from his thermos as he noticed something odd about Ruby's backpack. "Miss Rose, is your backpack... Moving?" Ruby was about to speak, when Zwei popped his head out of the bag. "I knew it...," Pyrrha muttered. The adults were simply dumbfounded. Oobleck was the first to speak up. "We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought... A dog?"

"Uh...," Ruby started, not sure what to say. However, Oobleck surprised them all by calling out, "Genius!" Before Ruby knew it, Zwei had been swiped out of her bag by Oobleck, knocking her to the ground. "Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound, making them excellent companions for a hunt such as ours!" "And he's such an adorable little doggy!," Peach said, gushing over Zwei as she scratched his ear. The other students looked over to Ruby. Having gotten over the initial shock, she declared, "I'm a genius."

"Professor Oobleck," Port spoke up, "Perhaps we should we move on to our assignment with the students." "Ah yes," Oobleck said, tossing Zwei into Peach's arms, "But I must remind you, Peter, it's Dr. Oobleck." Leonidas shook his head. "Okay. Our first order of business is to identify Grimm movement patterns in the area in order to establish the safest location for our base camp. As soon as we see our first Grimm-" "Found one," Oobleck said, pointing to a distant Beowolf that had just come into. The students readied their weapons, but Oobleck and Port stopped them.

"There's no need to fight just yet," Port said, "It hasn't seen us. True, the second it senses our presence it'll be rushing to its death due our superior numbers, but then we'd lose an early chance at tracking the entire pack." "Why would it come to us?," Penny asked. "Simple Miss Polendina," Oobleck replied, "Grimm are primarily attracted to negativity. Sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred. Once it senses our group's ill-intent it will come rushing at us in an instant." The group lowered their guard, but kept their weapons active. Ruby then turned to the adult Huntsmen. "So, what do we do?"

"We need to track this lone Beowolf back to its pack," Leonidas replied, "Could take hours, but it'll give us time to scout the area and find a good base site. After that, we try and locate the Beowolf's pack-" "There's the pack," Oobleck said. Sure enough, several more Beowolves had shown up. They started sniffing around, and several turned to look at the group. "And now they've seen us," Oobleck said, prompting the students to put up their guard again. The pack rushed at the group, intent on killing. The fastest one of them reached the group first, only to meet swift death when Yang struck its head with a fierce blow from Ember Celica.

Several more surrounded Sydney, but the first few were killed due to the enhanced strength of Midnight Howl, giving Sydney space to use his Semblance and fight them on more even terms. Lionel came zipping in past him with his weapon Titan Leash, a set of containers with high-tension wires that let him zip along at high speeds. He then triggered his Semblance, which let him generate earthquakes by striking the ground, as he landed among several Beowolves. A few more came in, but Titan Leash moved to his back and turned into rocket launchers, firing off to kill the Grimm approaching him.

Team CRDL had cornered a small splinter group from the pack. Cardin took out the first to move with his mace, Grand Bomber. Russel leapt from Beowolf to another, striking each with his Jack Naito, the twin daggers. Dove fired his Gunblade to stun another incoming Beowolf before using the actual blade to decapitate it. The last one, seeing it was outnumber, tried to flee, only to get its forearm trapped by Sky's halberd, the Soaring Crest. With the barrel of Soaring Crest pointed at the Grimm's head, Sky smirked as he pulled the trigger, ending the splinter group.

Ruby had gotten to a higher vantage point and started sniping Beowolves with Crescent Rose, leaping down only to help Rasaki, who had trapped one Beowolf with her whip sword Valentine Belle, but was about to be set upon by its kin. Viridian then came in to finish off the one trapped by Rasaki using her clawed gauntlets, the Latorartar. Several more Beowolves spotted Blake and tried to rush at her, but a quick combination of her Semblance and her Gambol Shroud took care of the first few. One nearly got the drop on her, but she saved last minute by Sun jumping with a quick blast from Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang.

The rest of the group closed in, but were blasted back thanks to Pura using her Semblance, which let her control sound waves, in combination with her weapon Tenacious D, a cordless electric guitar. One Beowolf got up and charged again, but Pura smirked as she hit a switch on Tenacious D, turning the head of the guitar into a circular saw. Before the Grimm knew what hit it, Pura had completely bisected the beast. Yang had joined Rigel battling several more Grimm, Rigel wielding a dual set elbow blades and crossbow mounted boots collectively called the Martial Regalia.

A smaller group of Beowolves spotted the older Huntsmen and tried to attack, only to get ambushed by Scarlet and Sage, Scarlet wielding his Scarlet Tinker cutlass and Black Hawk pistol while Sage wielded his Gran Fable broadsword. Between the two of them, the group of Grimm were taken out in mere moments. Nearby, Neptune had swapped his guandao, Equine Storm, to its machine gun mode and was blasting Beowolves like they were fish in a barrel. A few got in close, only to be cut down by Weiss' Myrtenaster. Penny had manged to pin several more Beowolves down using her Jimminy Williker, which were quickly finished off when Ciel unleashed her Solar Streak, a stopwatch that emitted a hard-light Dust blade.

By now the pack was starting to realize they were outmatched and tried to flee. Several stragglers were taken out via shots from Ren's StormFlower and Nora's Magnhild. One final splinter group tried one last ambush, but were shot down by Pyrrha's Milo and Jaune's Azure Fang. The last and largest Beowolf to stay, and the alpha who had lead the final ambush, was cut down by Jaune and his Roseus Ignis. "That's that," Ruby said, "The rest of the pack is fleeing." "Undoubtedly they realized they were outmatched and chose to cut their losses," Port noted, "But don't rest on your laurels just yet. There are still Grimm roaming around the outskirts of the city. Now that we know we have some breathing room, we should seek an ideal place for base camp."

* * *

As the group of Huntsman trekked through the deserted city, they continued to see signs of Grimm. Fortunately, the pack of Beowolves was obviously the largest force in the Glenn, since any other Grimm nearby were giving the group a wide berth. This was especially good news for Oobleck, as it gave him a chance to study the ruins as they searched for a place to set up their base camp. "Not as much action as I thought we'd get," Yang said, a little disappointed. "Don't be too surprised," Leonidas said, "They may not seem like it, but Grimm are quite intelligent. The only reason they seem brutish and instinct-driven is that their current forms limit them."

"Indeed," Glynda continued, "Our early scuffle would not have gone unnoticed by any other Grimm nests. But the size of our group and the fact that your teamwork defeated such a large pack is making the other Grimm we've seen wary. Unwilling to simply barrel in to what would no doubt be certain death. You'll soon learn that while a Hunstman's life can and will provide the adventures you no doubt dream of, at the end of the day it is simply a job." It wasn't long before the group found a perfectly stable and defensible abandoned building, great for keeping out the elements, plus tall enough to keep a lookout for Grimm but not so tall that flying Grimm such as Nevermores would take notice.

While most of the students and five of the teachers began to set up camp, Oobleck took the team leaders to scour the perimeter. As they reached the edge of the city, Ciel pointed out a herd of Goliaths, giant elephant-like Grimm. "I think they see us," Cardin said, "But they're making no movement toward us." "Understandable," Oobleck said, "These Grimm have likely lived for several centuries. And in that time they have learned, that for all their size they are no match for the will of any Human or Faunus. For every one they kill, a dozen more will move to avenge the fallen, until the Goliath is dead. This herd has come to learn this, but their strange desire to destroy all that our society has created will not stop. So they wait, and they watch, for the right moment to strike."

* * *

Once the camp was set up, the team gathered around the small fire set up for warmth. "Find anything stalking us?," Neptune asked. "There's a herd of Goliath moving away from the site," Jaune explained, "Likely observing the state of the walls for any sign of weakness. They likely saw us, but knew charging at us would only alert us to their presence. All the same, we should keep watch in sets of two during the night." "A good suggestion Jaune," Ironwood replied, "Me and Leonidas will take the first watch. If one of us gets tired we'll wake up someone else. I understand there may be some of you disappointed we didn't find what we're looking for, but keep in mind it's only been one day, and there's a lot of ground to cover in this city."

"And please students," Glynda said as she unrolled her sleeping bag, "Be responsible." Ruby was wondering what Glynda was referring to, but then noticed Jaune and Pyrrha had gotten into the same sleeping bag, as well as Ren and Nora, and then instantly got it. "They move fast," Sydney said, "I somehow doubt we're ready for that." "Especially since I'm two years younger than you," Ruby replied. Sydney nodded. "Yeah, Yang told me how you got moved forward after helping to stop a Dust store robbery." Ruby smiled, remembering that awesome time. "Though I think it was more because of the type of weapon I use. I'm one of the few Huntresses out there who can wield a battle scythe. The only other one I know of is my uncle."

Zwei bounded up to the couple and snuggled into Sydney's lap, causing Ruby to giggle. "I think he likes you." "Well I am part-wolf," Sydney said with a smile as he scratched Zwei's ears. "Y'know," Ruby said, "I caught Oobleck asking everyone why they wanted to become Hunstmen and Huntresses. When I asked him what his reason was, he said it was because he could use that knowledge and pass it down to others, for the sake of all the lives lost. Here and elsewhere. Me, I became a Huntress because I want to help people. I mean, someone has to, right?" Sydney nodded. "I understand. Me and my team became Hunstmen and Huntresses in hopes of reminding Humans that Faunus are victims of Grimm too."

He looked at the still rising moon. "The good thing about growing up in Vacuo, prejudice is few and far between. The government there doesn't care if we're Human or Faunus. If you can survive the desert, you deserve respect. But we're not blind. We know its not the same in other kingdoms. Me, Lionel, Viridian, Rasaki. We all grew up in the same village, the rocky cliffs providing excellent defenses against the Grimm. We want to become the first all Faunus team and show the world that we're not all like the White Fang." The howling of Beowolves could be heard in the distance. "I guess tomorrow we start our real search," Ruby said.

To be continued...

 **Big fights are coming up in later chapters, and for those who are wondering why there weren't more Grimm fighting scenes in this chapter, here's why. The larger group of Humans and Faunus means more Grimm, all of them younger and less experienced, are going to be drawn to the fight, only to get slaughtered due to the Hunstmen and Huntresses having far more fighting experience and being more varied in their attacks. What's left are older and more experienced Grimm, even if it's just by a few decades. And they'll quickly realize that further attacks are just going to thin their numbers in the region. Now if you have any questions about the basis for any of the OCs, or my choices in weapon names for previously unnamed weapons, don't be afraid to ask. Read and review.**


	20. Chapter 20: Underground

**A new chapter and some very big changes. Plus some further character interaction, and a brand new pairing. You'll see who it is soon enough, but I will say it's one of my OCs paired with a canon character. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 20: Underground

Night slowly passed at the group's base camp. At present, Ruby and Cardin were the ones keeping watch. A lone Beowolf approached, with Ruby training her Crescent Rose on the beast in case it got too close. The Beowolf spotted her, but it must have been old enough to recognize a threat it could not handle because it quickly shuffled off. Ruby sighed, but Cardin placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't feel too bad. With how much noise your rifle makes, it would just have drawn in more enemies." Ruby nodded and yawned. "I'm getting beat anyway. Guess it's time to swap out."

She headed downstairs and tagged in Jaune, who had just woken up. Despite the constant switching, everyone was getting plenty of good sleep, mostly due to training their bodies to not needing as much as the average person. Inside the camp, Ironwood was talking with Glynda. "So," the Huntress said, "How's it feel to be in field again for the first time in years?" Ironwood smiled. "Like I'm back on the front lines. As much as I enjoy the authority being a general gives me, there's a always a certain satisfaction that comes with being in personal combat."

He sighed. "Still, I hope Ozpin knows what he's doing with all this. These are still first-year students. The only thing making me feel better is that we have such a large group." Glynda sat closer to Ironwood. "Don't forget Ozpin has more experience in this than all of us. Even if it doesn't look like it. And the moment we stop trusting each other, that's when our enemies win." Ironwood smiled. "I suppose you're right. Still, just to be safe I've spoken with the Vale Council about forming a joint security force, made up of officials from all four kingdoms. Practical and symbolic."

On the other side of the camp, Yang was talking with Rigel. "I gotta admit," Yang said, "After seeing Weiss I thought all students from Atlas would be a little uptight." Rigel snorted. "And I thought all students from Vale would be more relaxed. You seem far too rambunctious." He sat up. "Despite what the other kingdoms may think, Atlas still upholds the rule that Huntsmen and Huntresses are free agents. Heck, when you start seeing the Atlas representatives in the Vytal Festival Tournament, I guarantee you'll be surprised." He then noticed the stew he was cooking was finished and offered some to Yang, who tasted it. "Wow, that's just right."

Meanwhile, Blake was talking with Sun about her previous relationship. Sun regarded the tale with horror. "I'm surprised he didn't go... That far." Blake shuddered, but nodded. "Yeah, me too. Best I can figure, he was saving that as a 'reward' for all his hard work. To think all this could happen just because my dad stepped down." Sun's eyes widened. "Wait, your dad was the former leader of the White Fang!?" Blake smirked. "I did say I was practically born into the group. But yeah, my dad used to be leader. He believed that by protesting peacefully it would show Faunus weren't the mindless animals some Humans think we are."

"Why'd he step down?," Sun asked. Blake sighed. "Five years ago, the former chieftain of our village died, and Father was selected as the new chieftain. He couldn't lead the village and still run the White Fang, so he passed the leadership of the White Fang to another. I often ask myself if Father made the right choice, considering what the White Fang has become." A tear dropped from her eye. "I've always wanted to finish what Father started. And since I lost faith in the White Fang, I choose to try my hand at being a Huntress. But... I'm starting to realize that ending hundreds of years of hatred isn't easy, and it certainly can't be done alone."

As Jaune reached where Cardin was still watching, he asked, "Say Cardin, why did you decide to become a Hunstman? Considering my first impression of you is a school bully, I didn't think you'd be the heroic type." Cardin shrugged. "Being a Hunstman has been in my family for generations. Going back even before the Great War. I guess I let that get to my head a little. What about you?" "Same deal," Jaune said, "Except I actually try to show a little humility. Of course, after my mom got a career-ending injury my folks were hoping their kids wouldn't be forced into that. I literally had to ask my dad to properly train me. If I hadn't had the courage to do that, I might have had to, I dunno, fake my way into Beacon or something."

The two of them then spotted movement several yards from the camp. Cardin narrowed his eyes. "That's no Grimm. Looked like it at first, but that's definitely a mask." Jaune nodded. "Which means it's likely a White Fang member." The figure was joined by two others, who seemed to be looking around. "I think they're more concerned about Grimm than anyone finding them," Cardin noted, "We'd better inform the others." Moments later, Ruby was examining the trio of White Fang. "Looks like they're heading through a hole in the pavement."

"Of course," Oobleck said, "The underground crime network we're looking for is literally underground." "What do you mean?," Ciel asked. "Simple," Oobleck said, "What made the Mountain Glenn expansion doomed from the start was the lack of natural defenses. That said, the citizens were able to maintain the city for many years via a series of underground tunnels. When the city started to fail, they retreated to these tunnels for safety." "I get it," Rasaki said, "There's an entire city under our feet." Oobleck nodded. "Precisely. However, a sudden explosion in the underground unveiled a nest of subterranean Grimm, prompting Vale to seal the tunnels off."

* * *

Down in the underground, a couple of White Fang guards were patrolling near the tunnel entrance. "Hey," one of them said, "Should we be worried about that Bullhead that showed up this morning?" "Doubt it," the other said dismissively, "The sounds of fighting stopped hours ago, meaning whatever Hunstmen showed up are long gone, either because they finished exterminating the Grimm and left, or because they got killed." "Probably the former," the first said with a nod, "We didn't find any corpses during patrol."

That's when both guards suddenly felt a hard impact. Unbeknownst to them, Sydney had snuck behind them and knocked their heads together. He signaled up to the top of the tunnel, and Ruby, Jaune, Cardin, Sun, Ciel, and Port dropped in after him. Ahead of them, they noticed a dark tunnel ahead. "No lights," Ruby said, "But Faunus wouldn't need too much of it." Sun nodded. "In that case, me and Sydney should take point." "Hey what a minute," Cardin said, "Why do you two get to suddenly take point?" "Oh, I'm sorry," Sydney said sarcastically, "I didn't realize you suddenly developed night vision."

Cardin just facepalmed. "Right. Forgot about that." Jaune shook his head as the group headed through the tunnel, the two Faunus leading the way. Before long, Sydney noticed a light at the end, leading to a rather large, open area. Luckily, Ciel noticed a nearby ramp leading up to a large balcony. The group headed up with no one spotting them. Jaune took a chance to look over the balcony. "Lots of White Fang. I think we've spotted their hideout." Ruby pointed in one direction. "Look. It's one of those Atlesian Paladins. They must be using it to carry cargo."

She then noticed a few more White Fang handling what was clearly a Dust-based explosive and got a bad premonition. "And I think the cargo may be bombs. Lots of bombs." Port shook his head. "This isn't good. They must be planning on uncorking the seal between here and Vale. And there's only one reason they'd do such a thing." "How would they even get all those bombs to Vale's wall?," Sun asked. "That's how," Cardin said, pointing out the train tracks, "Mountain Glenn had a subway system meant to link it to Vale." He then paled. "Oh sweet Dust... They don't just plan on using the explosives to crack the seal. They're gonna use it to lure all those Grimm to the wall and then breach it!"

* * *

The rest of the group was informed of the White Fang's actions. "We must assume they have more than one explosive," Ironwood noted, "And have plans to detonate them at predetermined points. I'll send a call in to the Vale Council, after which we'll rendezvous inside the tunnels." He quickly contacted the Bullhead pilot that brought them in. From there the call went to the Council chambers, were one particular man closed his eyes solemnly. "So...," he muttered, "One of the biggest changes to this timeline is about to occur." He then addressed his fellow Councilmen. "Gentlemen. If Ironwood's report is accurate, then we know where the enemy is going to breach Vale. I recommend we have a surprise waiting for them."

To be continued...

 **Yes, my dear readers. There is someone else who knows about the new timeline. Who he is will be revealed later, but for now he's simply another member of the Vale Council. By the way, the mention of Blake's father was because I saw the new episode of RWBY Volume 4. I always did assume Blake's family was involved in the White Fang, but I'm surprised to have it confirmed. Read and review.**


	21. Chapter 21: Hit the Brakes

**Nearing the end of the Volume 2 arc. Some major fight scenes in this chapter too. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 21: Hit the Brakes

Cinder looked at her scroll with a worried expression. Her two allies looked at her. "Will you relax, Cinder?," Mercury said, "Torchwick hasn't reported in any trouble with the operation." "And that's what worries me," Cinder replied, "Given what we know about Team RWBY, I would have expected at least Ruby Rose to find trouble with Torchwick by now." Mercury sighed. "Geez. Salem mentions some minor changes and suddenly you get paranoid." He suddenly had a thought. "Come to think of it, are they the only ones going to Mountain Glenn?" Cinder double-checked the missions. "They should be. There's nothing to suggest otherwise. Why do you ask?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Roman and the White Fang were finishing up loading the last bomb when a shot rang out, causing the bomb to explode inside the crate. Roman looked to see not just Team RWBY, but five more teams as well. "Okay... That's not good odds. Hurry up and get the train started!" Several White Fang boarded the train and began to operate it as the rest stayed behind to delay the Huntsmen and Huntresses. To their dismay, the first to attack were the Faunus of the group, with Sydney leading the charge via his Semblance. He quickly got surrounded, but then Rasaki came in and activated her Semblance, producing a brilliant flash of light that blinded the White Fang.

Before long, the White Fang members were knocked out and trussed up, ready to be sent back to Vale. The group then hurried onto the fleeing train. As they moved from car to car, the bomb for the caboose already dealt with thanks to Ruby, several more White Fang came out of the cars. "Do they not realize that we're riding on several live bombs!?," Weiss asked in shock. "They're traitors to their own cause," Rigel said, shaking his head, "But this world has no use for martyrs." The group hurried along the cars, taking out as many bombs as possible. However, several bombs still got set off, drawing in hordes of Grimm.

Teams RWBY, JNPR, and CPPR hurried along the bottom to take out the munitions, while Teams SLVR, CRDL, and SSSN hurried along the top hoping to get to the front of the train to stop it. Along the top, they quickly found resistance in the form of several Paladins. "Not a problem," Sun said, "We've taken one down before, and we have two more guys to help out." Meanwhile, along the lower route, the group there encountered Neopolitan again. "We can handle her," Jaune said, "You guys go on ahead." RWBY and CPPR hurried on while JNPR stayed to deal with Neopolitan. Neo actually looked worried since she remembered Ren was the one who noted her Semblance.

The next car had a White Fang lieutenant wielding a chainsaw weapon. "Ciel," Ruby said, "Can you handle this one?" "Not a problem," Ciel said, "Penny, take point." "Got it," Penny said, "Be careful up ahead, Ruby." Finally, Team RWBY found Roman waiting for them just before the final car. "Well," Roman said as he tossed aside a finished cigar, "A little more trouble than I was expecting. She's not going to like this..." He took aim with his Melodic Cudgel, causing the girls to scatter. Blake was the first to move in, her Semblance enhanced thanks to a set of Dust capsules Weiss had offered her.

JNPR was doing pretty well against Neopolitan. Jaune's danger sense and Ren's Semblance helped the team see through her illusions. _'This is not what I was hoping for,'_ she thought, _'Didn't that Salem lady say my opponent would most likely be that blonde bimbo? Never trust future readers.'_ Meanwhile, the lieutenant was aghast when he saw his chainsaw didn't so much as scratch Penny. It was cutting through her Aura, but not her body. In fact, when he looked at his weapon, the teeth seemed damaged. "I'm sorry," Penny said, "But my body is not as human as my mind." She opened up Jimminy Williker and used the blades as a makeshift slingshot to dropkick the lieutenant.

Up top, the three teams had finished dealing with the last of the Paladins. Scarlet then looked back and saw a large group of Grimm were still following the train. "Think we could take out some of the smaller ones from here?," he asked. "Probably not," Ironwood said, "But if we're lucky, we won't have to." Back with JNPR, Neopolitan had to make a quick escape when Jaune had Roseus Ignis to her throat, intent on keeping her from interfering any further. Her escape was well-timed, as Roman was getting overwhelmed by Team RWBY. Together they hurried to the front of the train. "We'd better warn Cinder about this," Roman noted.

* * *

"What!?," Cinder said with shock when she got the call. 'I said there's not just one team investigating Mountain Glenn,' Roman replied, 'But six. Yes, Team RWBY is here. But I also recognize Teams JNPR and CRDL, plus what looks to be teams from Atlas, Vacuo, and Mistral. We've been forced to work ahead of schedule, and unfortunately our breach isn't going to have the impact we planned. They've managed to take out several bombs already.' Cinder sat down, completed shocked. _'Things are going wrong... Our plan is still working, but now there are too many variables. Can we even keep working under these conditions?'_

* * *

"Hello?," Roman asked, only hearing silence, "Huh, I think I broke her." Neopolitan then tapped him on the shoulder. "I think we should jump the..." But she got interrupted when several of the Huntsman group pointed their weapons at the duo. "Uh," Roman said, nervous, "I don't suppose this is a good time to negotiate?" Just then the train crashed into a solid rock wall, the group only saved due to Weiss putting up a massive ice shield several seconds before the crash. Still, they were all knocked out for a bit before waking up to a relief-giving sight.

Several military units, most of them from Atlas, and numerous Huntsmen were standing not far from where the train crashed. And it was a good thing too, since several Grimm, drawn by the explosions, had emerged from the breach. Immediately the group was vacated to safety until they could recover. Up above on the rooftops, a woman wearing a Grimm mask watched the group, Yang in particular. "So I didn't need to step in after all. You've certainly grown since the last time I saw you. Think I'll pay you a visit when this crisis is dealt with." She dove down to assist in repelling the Grimm threat.

To be continued...

 **A shorter chapter, but let's face it, there's way too many characters to focus on and with several fighters against a single opponent, you just know they're gonna find it easy. Read and review.**


	22. Chapter 22: Right Direction, Wrong Road

**This chapter will finish the Volume 2 arc, which means we're getting closer to that ever infamous moment in RWBY history. I'll leave my thoughts on that for when the chapter is done, but for now, expect plenty of interesting moments, and the first real appearance by a fan favorite team. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 22: Right Direction, Wrong Road

At the Battle of Beacon, Ozpin found himself defeated. Cinder, having stolen the power of the Fall Maiden, had fled, intent on completing her plans. That was when a familiar face appeared. It was Gray Marlin, the same councilman who had spoken with Ozpin about his supposed failure to provide security. "I'm sorry this happened," Gray said, "I only wish I had the foresight to put the pieces together as you have." "No one could have predicted this..," Ozpin said. Gray shook his head. "Even so, this tragedy came about due to a lack of proper communication. Fortunately, hindsight may be in our favor for once."

Ozpin looked confused. "It has to do with my Semblance," Gray explained, "I can send my consciousness backwards in time, along with one other person. However, I can't control how far back we will go, though it will most certainly be more than a year. Also, it will only ensure the mistakes we made in this timeline do not occur in a new timeline." Ozpin smiled. "It's enough to provide hope for others. And I doubt very much that her victory will be as complete as she would like." As Ozpin closed his eyes one final time, Gray placed his hand to Ozpin's forehead, and the two began to glow.

* * *

As it turned out, Gray had sent himself and Ozpin more than a decade into the past. This provided plenty of time to start making preparations for future events. Gray's position in the Council and his own natural charisma helped pull his fellow councilmen into favorable positions that would easily prevent the division that contributed to the events of the Battle of Beacon. Of course, the sudden change in one particular student made things far easier. Gray felt he had Ozpin to thank for that one.

Now a call came in from the Huntsman team investigating Mountain Glenn. Roman and his allies in the White Fang had plans to break open the underground tunnels and allow a massive infusion of Grimm into the city. Knowing the exact location of where they would appear, Gray and the Council had that region evacuated and brought in as much military hardware and Huntsmen as could be spared, which as it turned out was more than they could have hoped for.

And a good thing too, because while the student teams were able to prevent the full force of the explosives from bing released, there were still a great deal of Grimm pouring out from the breach. At Beacon Academy, Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald watched as several second-year and higher students were being sent to assist. "It's far too early, don't you think?," Emerald asked. "Perhaps," Cinder said, "But what concerns me more is that the city seemed prepared for this. While I doubt they could have foreseen it, I wasn't expecting them to be able to find out any other way."

* * *

Ruby flopped down on the medical bed situated away from the sight. Zwei, who had followed the group the entire way, snuggled up to his master, gently licking her cheek. "I'm okay, Zwei. Just really worn out from that crash." "Really could have been worse," Jaune said. He was sitting next to Pyrrha's bed, the young swordmaiden taking a chance to rest. Jaune smiled as he brushed her hair. "I'm just glad Vale had a surprise waiting for all those Grimm." A male medical officer came in to check on the students. "Looks like your Aura levels are steadily rising. You should be ready for combat within half-an-hour. And given how many Grimm are emerging, the battle may just last that long."

"What of the White Fang we were fighting?," Ruby asked. "Sadly many of them lost of their lives to Grimm," the official said, shaking his head, "But many more were safely retrieved and taken into custody. Poor guys didn't really know what they were doing. Or maybe they did or didn't care. Honestly, even at its worst I never imagined the White Fang capable of such blatant terrorism. Then again, considering who we caught being in league with them..." Jaune perked his head up. "You mean Roman Torchwick was captured?"

The officer nodded. "He and his accomplice were seen hobbling away from the sight of the breach. The accomplice disappeared as we approached, but Roman surrendered immediately." That's when Sun and Neptune burst in. "Hey," Sun said, "Is everyone okay in here?" The medical officer looked at them. "Are you two okay to be in here? This tent is meant for Vale Huntsmen." Sun then flashed a badge. "It's okay, we're Junior Detectives!" Neptune then flashed his own badge. "We have badges so you know it's official." The officer, Ruby, and Jaune just looked at the duo. "I'm going to smack you," Jaune said, "I'm going to smack you with the butt of my gun."

"Where did you even get those?," Ruby asked. Sun and Neptune pointed to Jaune. "His dad," they said in unison. Jaune facepalmed. "When we first selected Leonidas to shadow," Sun explained, "We were expecting to be following a crime-solving expert, so we got these badges from the Vale Police Department. Next thing we know our whole team gets drafted into the Mountain Glenn assignment." Neptune shrugged. "We weren't exactly expecting a retired Huntsman to suddenly get back in the field." Jaune and Ruby sighed. "They're friends of ours," Ruby said, "Probably here to check on Blake and Weiss." The officer nodded, and led the group to where Ruby's team was resting.

* * *

At the battle site, several Huntsmen teams and numerous Atlesian Knights were brought in for reinforcements. Among the teams for Velvet's team, Team CFVY, which included leader Coco Adel, Fox Alistair, and Yatsuhashi Daichi. Yatsuhashi landed near the breach and took out a fresh wave of Grimm using his Rising Talon, a giant scimitar. Fox then delivered several blows to a charging Ursa with his Wyvern Arwing, twin elbow blades. The Ursa was knocked back, and then exploded, the bone shards from its armor killing several more Grimm.

Coco knocked away a few incoming shards with her metal handbag, the Razor Couture. Staring down a nearby Beowolf, she knocked away one of its claws as it attempted to rend her apart, then kicked it right between the legs. "You guys just ruined our plans for the day," she said as she lowered her sunglasses, "I hope you're ready for the consequences." She slammed Razor Couture right into the Beowolf's skull, killing it in one shot. Several more Grimm moved to take its place. Coco dodged the stringer of a Death Stalker as Velvet came in with her own weapon, a box of some sort.

"Come on, Vel," Coco said, "You've been building that weapon up all semester. Don't waste it on these weaklings." "If you say so," Velvet replied, "But we still need to deal with this threat." Coco smiled. "Easy." She unlocked Razor Couture's second mode, a giant gatling gun. Feeding the gun via the ammo in her designer belt, she quickly mowed down an entire group of Grimm on the ground, plus several Nevermore coming in from above. As the Grimm got pushed back to the breach, Teams, RWBY, JNPR, CRDL, SLVR, CPPR, and SSSN joined in. Ruby soon noticed Emerald also engaged in the fight.

"Hey," Ruby said, "Looks like things are cleaning up nicely around here." "Yeah," Emerald said, "I never thought I'd see so many Grimm." Ruby sighed. "Trust me, this is only the tip of the iceberg. There's way more Grimm down there, but they're still sealed. We manged to disable plenty of the bombs used to draw these Grimm to Vale in the first place." Emerald's surprise was genuine, but her reason for it was feigned. "How could the four of you manage that so easily?" "There weren't just four of us," Ruby explained, "We had several other teams helping out." Emerald's jaw dropped at that statement.

* * *

By the end of the day, all the Grimm had either been killed or driven back through the breach, which was sealed up in short order. Gray and the rest of the Council spoke with Ozpin via viewscreen following the event. 'The decision to use multiple teams proved a wise one,' Gray stated, 'While a breach still occurred, it was not as severe as it could have been. And now we have Roman Torchwick in custody. Hopefully General Ironwood can get something out of him.'

"Speaking of Ironwood," Ozpin said, "I believe he was discussing a certain plan for security during the Vytal Festival." Gray nodded. 'Yes, he wanted to make it a joint effort between all four kingdoms. Already security forces from Mistral and Vacuo are on their way. They will arrive before the tournament begins. How goes Chief Arc's progress on the virus planted in the CCT?' "Slow but steady," Ozpin replied, "He's already removed the final command of the virus program." He clasped his hands together. "Apparently, the virus was meant to first datamine, then control certain security functions, and finally... Shut down the entire Cross Continental Transit System."

* * *

Surveying the cleaning of the breach, now sealed, Cinder looked worried. "Our plans are still progressing," she said to Mercury and Emerald, "But not as normal. One or two variables could have been worked around. But here we have far too many." "Yeah," Mercury said with a sigh, "Maybe Salem was onto something when she claimed there were unexpected changes occurring." Emerald closed her eyes. "I bumped into Ruby on the battlefield. She confirmed her team was joined by several others. Not to mention even more White Fang have been captured. It could lose us their support."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," came a deep, male voice. The trio looked to see a bull Faunus, Adam Taurus, walk up to them. "So you still intend to assist our cause then," Cinder said. Adam nodded. "I've come too far to stop now. I'll rally those still under my command. We'll be ready when the invasion comes. Just so long as I'm allowed to take what I want out of this." Cinder smiled. "Very well. But don't expect it to be easy. She's grown stronger than we've expected." Beneath his Faunus mask, Adam narrowed his eyes. "That will make things more difficult, but I've always found a way to rise to the challenge."

* * *

As Team RWBY returned to the academy, Yang noticed the young woman in the mask near the statue. She seemed to be looking at the blonde fighter. Yang let her friends go on ahead as she walked over to the woman. "Hello there," Yang said, "Do I know you?" "Actually," the woman said, "You do." She removed her mask, and Yang gasped in surprise. The woman looked a lot like her. In an instant, Yang recognized who it was. "Mom...?" The woman, Raven Branwen, smiled at her daughter. "I hear you've been looking for me. I'm sorry I left you at such a young age. Trust me, I intend to explain everything." Yang nodded, a little flabbergasted at the situation.

To be continued...

 **And with that, the Volume 2 arc comes to a close. Now, we're coming to the one you've all been waiting for. Even if you haven't said as much in your comments, I know what you guys are going to be thinking. How much will he change, and how much will stay the same? Volume 3 is the big one, the one where severe tragedy struck for a lot of people. I won't spoil what I plan to write, but I will say this. Tragedy and drama don't necessarily go hand-in-hand. Trust me, you'll understand before long. Read and review.**


	23. Chapter 23: From the Diary of Ozpin

**I've gotten some flak from one reviewer asking if allowing the breach was really necessary given the sequence I presented. Could I have prevented it? I doubt it, and I'll try to explain why in this chapter. This chapter officially starts the Volume 3 arc, but it doesn't actually corollate to any episode in RWBY canon. It's something I decided on, each subsequent arc will have two more chapters than the previous (first arc had ten chapters, second had twelve, you get the idea). You'll soon understand why this is necessary. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 23: From the Diary of Ozpin

As I write in this diary, I should note to anyone who reads that there are secrets about me even this book does not contain. This is just in case those who are against me find it and try to learn more about me. After all, however unintentional it was I have become quite the central figure here in Vale. But this is beside the point. Ever since I first encountered a young Jaune Arc it seems my words changed the course of his life forever. That is where things seemed to have turned around. The leader of our enemies seems to suspect something is different, but cannot act without exposing herself.

She has worked behind the scenes, directing her followers to subtly remove anything that can be a hindrance to her plans. They caused a crippling injury to Gale Arc, and while she did survive, it convinced her and Leonidas to retire, with Leonidas joining the Vale Police. No doubt Salem expected the couple to not want their children involved, a futile effort. Jaune idolizes his ancestors, and even if he hadn't convinced his father to train him, he would have found some way to carry out the Arc family legacy. As it is now, he is growing ever stronger.

Salem and her cohorts also worked to either capture or kill the silver-eyed warriors, including Ruby Rose's mother, Summer. Whether she is truly dead or not, I couldn't say. No body was found, but that could mean any number of things. Regardless, one piece of the puzzle is if they knew Summer had a daughter, who also shares her eyes. Either way, we still have defenses against the inevitable. Salem has plans to launch a full scale invasion on Vale, of that I've no doubt.

And the reason has to do with the Maidens. Salem had sent someone to attack the Fall Maiden, Amber. If not for the timely intervention of Qrow Branwen, the attack would have been successful. As it is, Amber has lost half her powers and is now in a comatose state. In the meantime, Salem has been keeping watch just in case there were any surprises she missed. She has seen some, but does not know the full meaning behind them. At first I flirted with the idea of exercising caution, but this is not the sort of world where caution leads to success.

Thus, I became proactive, allowing James Ironwood and his military some action to relieve tension, such as retrieving any and all students from their missions in time for the school dance, so that everyone would have a chance to relax. Also, I have been speaking with the council about our findings in regards to the investigation of the White Fang. While they claim to be part of a splinter group, there is no real evidence, yet for now we choose to believe them until evidence suggests otherwise.

Jaune has remained quite the central figure himself. His very confidence seems to effect those around him. It has also become quite contagious, which is beneficial for quite a few students. And I believe this confidence will be needed in the very near future. While her methods have been, until recently, unclear, her goals could not be more transparent. She seeks the destruction of our civilization. And she intends to start with the very symbol of the peace the four kingdoms share, the Vytal Festival Tournament. And this is the fortieth one, a fitting milestone to plan one's attack.

We have some clues, such as the sudden breach she had Roman Torchwick mastermind. Looking back on the details, one might ask me why I allowed it to occur when it could be so easy to stop. Glynda alone would be enough to derail the train, they would likely say. I say, you overestimate her power. True her Semblance of telekinesis is strong, but she has far more trouble lifting objects larger than her herself. And derailing the train would no doubt do more harm than good, especially with so many Grimm lining the tunnels. She can only use her power for so long before she becomes exhausted.

Even if she could, me and my allies agreed that making our enemies think their plans were still on track, variables aside, would be an excellent way of drawing them out. All we had to do was make sure no civilians would get hurt in the crossfire. Now there are but a few concerns regarding the tournament. First is the presence of a virus in the CCT network. It was meant to ultimately shut the system down, but that alone would be temporary. Salem must have a more permanent solution in mind. Regardless, most of the virus' commands have been routed, though it still remains a credible threat for the time being.

As I write these words delegates, students, family members, and security personnel from the other three kingdoms are arriving in Vale for the 40th Annual Vytal Festival Tournament. I cannot stress how much of a landmark this is, a veritable symbol of our lasting peace, now threatened by invisible foes. Several have already secreted themselves in Beacon Academy, most likely as exchange students. No doubt, whoever has infiltrated us will wait until the last few rounds to make their move. Hopefully, with everything we've set up, severe tragedy can be averted. Though most certainly, they will push us to the brink.

To be continued...

 **I hope this clears a few things up. Next chapter we really get into the action, as the Vytal Festival Tournament begins. Read and review.**


	24. Chapter 24: First Fights

**I tell ya, figuring out all those team names for all the teams competing in the tournament wasn't easy. Luckily, I found a name generator designed for this. I was even able to separate the teams into eight per kingdom. There's gonna be some references to other franchises, so I'll modify the disclaimer as needed. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 24: First Fights

On a lonely cliff on the outskirts of Vale, Ruby was standing near the grave marker or her mother, Summer Rose. Some distance behind her was her Taiyang, as well as Zwei. Standing next to her was Sydney. "Hey Mom," Ruby said, "Sorry I haven't visited in a while. Been busy. Things have gotten crazy since I was accepted into Beacon. Haven't been kicked out yet, though it helps that I'm on a team with Yang. Speaking of, Raven came back. Something about changing her mind due to recent events. I guess she wants to reconnect after being out of her daughter's life for so long."

Ruby turned somber. "I wish it could be the same for us. Oh, that reminds me, Dad's here too. Still teaching at Signal, but he plans on taking on some missions soon. I think he misses adventuring with you." She looked to Sydney. "You're probably wondering why I'm here with a boy. Well, this is Sydney. He's from Vacuo. We... Kinda became boyfriend and girlfriend. This would probably be the point where you'd lecture me about long-distance relationships or something. Dad seems to approve of him, at least. But yeah, I've made a lot of new friends at Beacon. Like my other two teammates, Weiss and Blake. Together with me and Yang, we've become Team RWBY."

She smirked. "Before you ask, it was Ozpin's idea, not mine. And yes, it does cause some confusion. We've also managed to stop some bad guys. We've become part of some sort of secret hero group. Like mother, like daughter I suppose." Ruby turned sad again. "I miss you everyday, Mom. I just wish you didn't get taken from me when I was so young." She started tearing up and sought comfort in Sydney's arms. After crying her eyes out, Ruby's smile returned. "Anyway, still trying to find out why Ozpin let me into Beacon early, but I'll find out someday. Funny thing, the more I get to know him, the more he reminds me of Uncle Qrow. Anyway, I need to get back for my team's first fight in the tournament. Wish me luck!"

* * *

The Vytal Festival Tournament was already underway, with thirty-two teams, eight from each kingdom, competing to bring glory to their kingdom. The tournament was broken into several rounds. First was the team round, where all four members of a team fought as one. Teams that won moved on to the doubles round, where they would select two members to fight against two from another team. Next was the singles round, where one of the two from the doubles would fight in a one-on-one match. After that, the final four teams would take part in a battle royal to determine the final victor. There were no specific brackets for age or schooling. Skill was all that mattered.

Already Beacon suffered a loss when third-year Team AICE was defeated by Atlas' Team CPPR, a fight that left Ruby feeling confused since she didn't know whether to cheer for her school or her friend. But now Beacon had a chance to even the score as Team RWBY was battling against Haven Academy's Team ABRN. Spectators watched as Blake traded blows with Reese Chloris and her skateboard weapon Redhawk. Reese hovered across the ice field attached to the arena and launched Redhawk at Blake, who knocked it back causing a brief game of hot potato before Blake closed in and continued the assault.

Reese got back on her board and flew at Blake board-first. Blake simply swung Gambol Shroud cleaving the board in two, but as Reese flew backward to avoid the blow she demonstrated that splitting in two was a feature of Redhawk, the two halves turning into pistols that Reese fired. Unfortunately, she landed on the ice at just the right angle to take a bad slip, landing so hard that even Blake looked concerned. Meanwhile on the volcano side of the field, Yang was trading blows with Arslan Atlan, Team ABRN's leader. Arslan's fighting skills helped her keep Yang at bay, before finally using her rope dart, Yeng Pen, to trip up Yang and send her flying over to the other side of the field.

The slippery ice surface left Yang wide open as Arslan sent her flying in front of Nadir Shiko. Nadir aimed his Dragon Burst, an assault rifle, but found his lower half frozen before he could fire. In shock, he dropped his weapon. The frost had come from Ruby, who had seen Yang's situation and took action. "Got yer back, Sis," she said. Suddenly Bolin Hori showed up behind her brandishing his staff, Blaze Aura. "Who's got yours?," he asked sarcastically. But before he could make a move, Weiss moved in smacking Bolin through one of her glyphs, sending him over to the volcano field.

Smiling, Ruby responded, "My BFF!" Weiss simply smile before moving to continue the assault on Bolin. Weiss used another glyph to move in and strike Bolin, which Ruby followed up by spinning vertically onto him with Crescent Rose. Bolin blocked the attack, but learned too late he staring down the barrel of Ruby's rifle as she pulled the trigger, knocking him back. Bolin got back up and dodged around the duo's attacks before knocking off a piece of fire dust that happened to be attached to the field. He then threw it to Reese, who used it to thaw out Nadir.

Reese then continued her assault on Blake, knocking the feline Faunus through an ice pillar. Blake got back up and used her Semblance to avoid another attack. She then used Gambol Shroud to disappear behind another ice formation. Reese followed her and found Blake just standing at the edge of the arena. She rushed in an struck, but it turned out to be one of Blake's clones. The real Blake threw Gambol Shroud right in Reese's path as she flew between two ice pillars, the ribbon tripping up Reese. Blake took the opportunity to deliver a flying kick that sent Reese out of the arena, taking her out of the fight. By coincidence, she also wound up falling below the Aura threshold of fifteen percent, which really got her steamed.

Back in the fight, Yang had gotten used to ice, using Ember Celica and momentum to chase down Arslan, while knocked Bolin into Nadir and caught them both in a giant hand made of ice. She turned the hand into a giant snowball and sent it hurtling across the arena. Seeing this, Arslan rolled her eyes in annoyance and moved to rescue the two boys, stopping just long enough to shatter the snowball. Unfortunately for her, Weiss anticipated this. "Yang!," she called out as she made a ramp out of ice. Yang slid across the ramp using Ember Celica as Blake ran alongside them.

Blake then threw Gambol Shroud to Yang, who caught it and let herself get thrown. Blake landed on Ruby's Crescent Rose as she fired off a shot, and Blake and Yang spun towards the remaining three members of ABRN. As Yang was tossed right at the trio, Arslan realized they had wound up perfectly lined up for Yang to knock all three of them across the arena. The blow was so powerful, it caused all three members to hit the Aura threshold, giving Team RWBY the victory.

* * *

Ruby was still excited about their victory later in the festival grounds, marred only by her hunger. In fact, all of them were pretty hungry, with Blake's stomach growling like a lion. There was music playing in the background, a live performance by Vytal Undead. Weiss' father, Jaques, had commissioned the group to play for the festival to make up for the fact that business kept him from attending personally to cheer on his daughter, though he did promise that Weiss' sister, Winter, would be stopping by. Before heading to the concert, the four friends decided to grab something to eat.

"Say Weiss," Ruby asked, "How are things with your father?" "Mostly adequate," Weiss replied, "Not too good or bad. He assured me that my usual allowance was transferred on time. I haven't used any of it yet in anticipation of the festival." Yang snickered. "You're not gonna put our entire experience on your tab, are you?" Weiss shrugged. "And why not? Sure it was a rocky start, but I feel like I've grown as a person since meeting you girls." Ruby blinked. "Oh, so that's what Yang was talking about..." They stopped at a noodle shack where they met Team SLVR.

"Hey girls," Sydney said, "Getting some grub too?" Sydney already had a big bowl topped with pork cutlets. Viridian had ground beef mixed in with hers, Lionel had a regular bowl, and Rasaki had hers with fried egg. "Just got back from watching Team MACE from Haven and Team SLDR from Atlas," Rasaki said, "Poor SLDR got stomped, almost literally. That Alice girl looked like she was grinning." "I haven't had a chance to speak with Emerald, Mercury, or Cinder since the tournament started," Ruby said, "I guess Alice is their fourth member."

"Alice Liddel," Lionel remarked, "According to Emerald she doesn't get out much. I don't think they'll be using her for the doubles round. That reminds me, great match out there." "Yeah," Viridian said, "Definitely shows Beacon won't be going down easy, if at all. Though we've got a match against another Beacon team, Team BRZZ." The girls got their orders, Ruby and Yang got regular, Weiss got low sodium, and Blake got hers with fish. She drooled excitedly seeing that the fish were mostly intact, albeit pure meat. Weiss gave her credit card to the shopkeeper, who processed it quickly before returning it.

As the teams kept eating, Emerald and Mercury walked up. "Hey guys," Emerald said, "Saw your last fight." "Yeah, it was tough," Ruby said, "I'm still surprised we pulled it off. Sydney and his team have their match coming up." "Nice," Mercury said with a nod, "Hey, have you picked who you're sending into the doubles round. Emerald and me were picked for our team." "It took some thinking," Blake said, her mouth full of fish, "And in the end we played rock, paper, scissors for it." She gulped. "We finally choose Weiss and Yang." "Our match is coming up soon," Sydney said, "After that, assuming we win, we'll decide who we send in." The duo nodded, then walked off, smiling knowingly at each other.

* * *

The fight between SLVR and BRZZ took place in a combination swamp and anti-grav field. Zora Reinhardt of BRZZ was tracking Rasaki by her glowing Semblance, but wound up shocked when it turned out Rasaki had led her into a trap, and Zora was knocked out of the ring by Lionel, who had been secretly following his teammate. Viridian went toe-to-toe with Zachary Reinhardt, Zora's brother. Meanwhile, Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald were watching the fight while eating some popcorn. "So," Mercury said, "Who do you think will win?"

"Not that it matters to us," Cinder said, "But if I had to guess, I'd say Team SLVR has the definite advantage. I overheard Sydney talking about how he's been developing his Semblance. Perhaps we'll see it during the match." Sydney was right now taking on both Barry Coldwell and Rouge Milan using his Semblance. Before long his use of wind Dust caused Rouge to fly out of the arena, nailing Zachary on the way and giving Viridian the chance she needed to get him below the Aura threshold. Sydney then stared down Barry and seemed to shift.

It wasn't his Semblance fading, but rather transforming. When Barry was able to stop shielding his eyes, he saw that Sydney now resembled an armored warrior, his helmet still looking like a wolf's head. Cinder blinked in amazement. "That's actually very impressive." Before Barry could react Sydney had rushed him down, his speed and power seemingly increased. A quick rushdown had Barry knocked down below the Aura threshold with a minute. Sydney then took a deep breath as his Semblance canceled itself. Port and Oobleck, who were commentating on the matches, looked incredibly shocked. Finally, Oobleck spoke. "What an amazing display. Sydney Wolfe has clearly been training for this moment, his Semblance having undergone a tremendous evolution."

As the arena reset for the next fight, Cinder took a quick look at Sydney. "We'll have to keep an eye on him. No doubt there's a limit to his new power, but it still holds tremendous potential." Mercury nodded. "It only takes one warrior to turn the tide. So, next we have JNPR vs BRNZ. Who do you think will win that one?" Emerald smirked. "Come on, who do you think?" "Now, now," Cinder said, "Just because you know how the story ends doesn't mean it isn't fun to watch. After all, the little details can prove most entertaining." She took a small kernel from the popcorn bucket and heated it up until it popped.

To be continued...

 **Team AICE is meant to be pronounced ice, Team BRZZ is pronounced brass, and Team SLDR is pronounced soldier. I think from now on I'll put in little notes about the pronunciation of each team, unless it's obvious. And the fight between SLVR and BRZZ was meant to be short since it was just to showcase Sydney's new upgrade. The new level of his Semblance is inspired by Garo, but since that's an inspiration I don't feel the need to include it in the disclaimer. Read and review.**


	25. Chapter 25: Family and Heroes

**Here we are with another chapter. Things are getting crazier as the tournament picks up. I'll also be showing more consequences of the changes in the timeline. Also there will be a minor reference to Death Battle. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 25: Family and Heroes

In a small bar in Vale, Qrow Branwen was watching the Vytal Festival Tournament. He smiled proudly at how his niece, Yang, easily finished the fight with the help of her friends. "That girl's gotten stronger since I fought her," said the barman, a former Huntress herself, "And this coming from someone who got her rear-end handed to her by the blonde. Seriously, by the time it ended I was passed out in the lobby." Qrow smirked. "Let me guess... You made the mistake of slicing off some of her hair."

The barmaid scoffed. "It was just one strand!" "Trust me," Qrow said as he took another drink, "That's more than enough." "My baby girl's definitely taken after both her parents," came a familiar female voice that completely shocked Qrow. He turned around to see his sister Raven come up to the bar. "Well," Qrow said, "I figured you'd show up again, but not anywhere near Vale. Guess the rumors about you coming back are true. So..." He took another drink. "What made you change your mind?" Raven sighed. "A certain police chief, who also happens to be the only man other than you or Taiyang who could take me in a fight, got off his keister and got his life together."

"That alone shouldn't have done it," Qrow said with a knowing smile. After a brief silence, Raven relented. "He cracked down on our old bandit clan. And most of them tried to save their skins by revealing me as their leader." "See," Qrow said, "This is why I said we shouldn't trust them. Nothing but self-serving backstabbers who don't realize how much damage they're doing to the world. That's why I wanted us to become Huntsmen, to make up for our real family's mistakes." He turned sullen. "You may be right that family is about more than blood, but that's all the more reason why you should take the time to know those around you. Look at Yang and Ruby."

He indicated the viewscreen, which showed the sisters celebrating with their team. "Those two other girls, Weiss and Blake... They may as well be surrogate sisters to them. Which is impressive considering the former is a Schnee." Raven scoffed. "Oh please, the only bad Schnee is Jacques and you know it. Or have you dropped your little crush on the eldest sister of said family." Qrow nearly choked on his drink as his sister grinned. "The point is it was only a matter of time before those guys turned on us," Qrow retorted once he recovered, "Let's just keep watching the fights." Raven simply shook her head in amusement.

* * *

As Team JNPR made their way to the arena for their fight with Team BRNZ of Shade Academy, Jaune reached behind his back, where his family sword Crocea Mors was strapped underneath his jacket, and tied down so it wouldn't fall out while he was moving. He didn't plan on using it just yet, he'd save that for the finals. Nora looked a little nervous. "It'll be okay," Pyrrha said, reassuring her friend by placing her hand on Nora's shoulder. "Pyrrha's right, we got this," Jaune said, "Put it this way, we have a swordmaster that can also use guns and block just about any attack, a tournament champion, a ninja, and a super-strong hammer girl who smashes before thinking."

Hearing that, Nora cheered up. "Yeah... Yeah, we can do this!" She raised Magnhild over her head as the four of them headed to the arena. As they met with Team BRNZ, the two biomes were raised, this time forest and mountain. From the announcer box, Port counted down, "Three... Two... One... Go!" The two teams rushed at each other, but Jaune was quick to notice May Zedong running in the opposite direction and loading her rifle Baron Eye. Pyrrha got into a quick melee with Brawnz Ni, striking at her with his Tiger Claw gauntlets, while Nora and Ren double-teamed Nolan Porfirio.

Jaune fought off Roy Stallion long enough to spot Zedong taking a position in the trees. "Guys, fall back!," Jaune said, "Sniper assault!" JNPR quickly rushed behind the rocks, Jaune and Pyrrha blocking Zedong's shots as they retreated. Ren saw the shots actually breaking through rocks. "We can't stay back here long." "Don't have to," Jaune said, seeing the other three BRNZ members rushing at them, "Spread out and keep moving." He blocked a blow from Brawnz using his left arm before blasting him back with Azure Fang. "Jaune's fighting style has really evolved since he gain the ability to manifest his Semblance from both arms," Oobleck noted, "Notably, it allows him to use his Azure Fang far more in close combat. And speaking from experience that baby packs a wallop."

Meanwhile, Ren confronted Nolan, who looked back at Zedong and smiled. Zedong got the message and started firing to keep Ren occupied. The plan worked, and Nolan was able to get a good shot in with his Humbler Epsilon stun rod. Seeing her boyfriend fall to the ground, Nora moved in to avenge him. Nolan dodged her wide swings and managed to repeat his previous strike. However, instead of the usual effect, Nora seemed to be grinning. "Oh-ho," Port chimed in, "Looks like one of my favorite students is charging up to use her Semblance."

"What?," Nolan said, confused. As if hearing his question, Oobleck said, "Indeed. Nora's Semblance allows her to generate or absorb electrical energy to increase her physical strength. Especially useful against a foe that specializes in electric attacks, such as young Nolan." "What!?," Nolan exclaimed, now flabbergasted. "Put it this way," Jaune said as his Roseus Ignis clashed with Roy Stallion and his Sawtooth and Sandstorm, "You're about to be flattened." Nora gave an arm flex as she crackled with electrical energy. With a mighty swing, she sent Nolan flying into a nearby rock.

Jaune then noticed a thunderstorm forming over the mountain biome and got a brainstorm. "Nora, get up that mountain. Pyrrha, Ren, let's cover her." Roy quickly threw his twin weapons to strike at Nora, but one got blocked by Pyrrha's Akouo while Jaune used his Semblance to block the other. Pyrrha switched Milo to its rifle mode and she, Jaune, and Ren started firing at Zedong's position to distract her. Sure enough, this drew the other three team members to them, giving Nora more room to keep climbing. As Ren took on Nolan, Pyrrha took on Roy, and Jaune took on Brawnz, Zedong finally noticed Nora and took aim.

Unfortunately for her, Jaune's danger sense alerted him to her plan. "Pyrrha, up!" He pushed Brawnz while Pyrrha broke off from her own fight. Jaune then flipped the switch the switch on his gauntlet. "And it looks like Jaune has just turned off Grimmlock," Port noted, "Doing this let's his Semblance run wild, sacrificing focus for pure defensive power. A fairly even trade, especially since it can even let him launch his teammates into more favorable positions." Pyrrha leapt into the air, twisting her body around so that when Jaune unleashed his Semblance, it would push her right into an intercept course with Zedong's shot. She brought Akouo up so it would take the shot instead of her.

The combo worked just in time, as Zedong fired just as Pyrrha rushed right into her crosshairs, allowing Nora to keep climbing. Reaching the top, she held Magnhild aloft to attract a lightning bolt, charging her strength even further. She configured Magnhild to its grenade launcher mode and unlocked its full shot, firing all six grenades at once. Zedong could only look on in defeat as the shots took on a heart shape and barreled in on her, leaving a smoking crater that forced Zedong out into the open. Nora then leapt off the mountain in a blinding pink aura and smashed Magnhild into the ground, creating a shockwave that sent that other three BRNZ members sailing towards their teammate.

Jaune then rushed in, loading Roseus Ignis with a quake Dust cartridge as he called out, "Blade Hammer!" Nora grinned as she rushed at Team BRNZ, whirling around with her Magnhild. As she connected, Jaune rushed in to connect with his own swing, sending them entire Team BRNZ sailing out of the arena and smack into the invisible wall protecting the spectators. "And Team JNPR wins by knock-out," Port announced, "Literally. Someone check to make sure they're still breathing."

* * *

Raven was laughing at the hilarious way JNPR gained victory. Even Qrow looked amused. "Leo's boy is certainly getting stronger," he noted, "Last time I heard of him, he could only use the one arm to manifest his Semblance." The next two fights continued in short order. First was Team FNKI of Atlas versus Team GOLD of Shade, with FNKI's victory knocking Shade into a tie with Beacon for remaining teams. Shade was able to bounce back however, with Team BTLE (battle) gaining victory over Team SFRE (sapphire) of Haven.

* * *

"Well, this has been a roller coaster of a tournament," Oobleck said, "And now it looks like Haven will get a second chance of fighting back against Shade in this next match." "Indeed, Oobleck," Port said, "On the Shade side we have Team NDGO. These lovely ladies are certainly a favorite across all four kingdoms, but now they'll be going up against the most testosterone fueled team ever to enter this arena. I speak of course of... Team SSSN." Team RWBY was sitting in the section reserved for tournament contestants. Ruby then waved as Team SLVR came to join them. "Hey girls," Sydney said.

"Looks like Nebula and her crew get to show why they're top of the class in Shade," Viridian said as the four of them sat down, "They're more than just a quartet of pretty faces after all." Rasaki looked over to Blake. "I think I can guess who you'll be rooting for, right?" Blake blushed but nodded. "Oh yeah." Down in the arena, as Sun and his team approach Team NDGO, he spoke to Neptune. "Now remember, I know they're good-looking, but Weiss is watching, and you don't want to enrage her." Neptune nodded. "Cool man, I got it. We'll just get this fight underway."

The four girls of NDGO just rolled their eyes at the display as the biomes were selected. On one side was chosen a desert field. Nebula Violette smiled. "All right, home field advantage." "Don't get too cocky," Sun said with a grin, "That's my turf too." Scarlet looked at his boots. "I hope I don't get sand in my shoes." Neptune sighed and put a hand on his teammates shoulder. "Dude, be cool." Dew Gayl then spotted the other biome being used. "Hey, the ocean!" Neptune froze, then whirled around to see a beachside biome, complete with grounded ship.

"What's wrong with Neptune?," Ruby asked. Blake sighed as she facepalmed. "He's afraid of water." Lionel raised an eyebrow. "Like... All water?" "Well," Blake said, "More like open bodies of water. He can handle small puddles fine, plus rain, bathing, or drinking water. Just don't try getting him to try swimming. Sun mentioned it during our mission in Mountain Glenn. Poor guy's gonna have it rough the whole fight." Sure enough, once the fight started, Neptune raced up the plateau on the desert side. "Neptune!," Sun called out, "What are you doing!?"

"Oh you know!," Neptune called back, "Just getting some higher ground!" Sage raised an eyebrow. "On their side of the field!?" Neptune waved it off, saying, "They would never expect it!" Dew shrugged. "He's not wrong..." Nebula sighed. "Open fire!" The two teams clashed, Scarlet beginning by targeting Octavia Ember. Meanwhile Sage confronted Dew, who started kicking up a whirlwind using the wind Dust in her staff Vermillion Night. The winds were so powerful they actually sent Sage flying out of the arena. Sun soon joined Scarlet against Octavia, who used her Kris Naga to launch a shockwave which kicked up a dust storm.

Seeing his teammates blinded, Neptune pulled his goggles over his eyes and jumped down. Octavia tried the same trick, but realized the hard way that Neptune could still see thanks to his goggles when he fired off a shot from Equine Storm. She blocked the shot, but the distraction was enough for Sun to leap in with a flying kick right to Octavia's head. She recovered, but was still taken out when Sun pressed his onslaught with Ruyi Bang and Jinju Bang. Elsewhere on the field, Dew had sent Scarlet sailing away, but he was able to save himself by using his Semblance to ride on the wind current and slow himself down enough to land on the ship's yard.

Nebula fired off a shot from her Elegant Ness crossbow right into the mast the yard was connected to, then jumped off the bolt to fight Scarlet, her weapon shifting to a short sword. Scarlet responded with his Scarlet Tinker, expertly dueling Nebula before forcing her off the yard and onto the ship's deck back-first. He then spotted Gwen Darcy giving Sun some trouble with her Thousand Claw, a set of throwing knives, and aimed his Black Hawk. Firing off the grappling hook portion, he successfully caught Gwen's leg, dragging her up and causing her to lose all her knives, while using her as a weight to land on the ground.

As Sun faced off with Dew, he spotted a palm tree next to him and knocked down a couple coconuts. He threw them at Dew, but she knocked them away. One wound up hitting Scarlet in the head, while other hit his "weak spot", dropping his Aura below the threshold. "Aw nuts...," Sun muttered. "Hate to see that happen," Sydney noted. "Believe it or not," Ruby said, "That place hurts for girls too. I'm speaking from personal experience." After an awkward silence she added, "I don't like to talk about it."

Sun was now surrounded by Gwen, Nebula, and Dew. Luckily, Neptune was able to shoot Dew into the water as she tried an overhead attack. Seeing Nebula and Gwen rush to help their teammate up, he called out, "Sun, get out of the water!" Sun smiled and leapt over to Neptune, who switched his Equine Storm to guandao and tentatively charged it with lightning Dust, then thrust it into the water, shocking all three girls until they hit the threshold. As the announcement of Team SSSN's victory came in, the two buds chest bumped. "Let it never be said I can't face my fears," Neptune said.

* * *

As the fights for the day ended, Ruby and her team greeted Sun and Neptune. "Awesome fight there, guys," Ruby said, "That was really close." "Yeah," Sun said with a nod, "I thought we were screwed when Scarlet took a hit down south. He's in the infirmary getting iced right now." Weiss then walked up to Neptune. "And thank you for not flirting with those girls." Neptune rubbed the back of his head as the group walked out onto the Amity Colosseum deck. "Yeah, Sun gave me repeated warnings about that."

The group then noticed a rather distinctive airship arriving near Beacon. Weiss recognized it at once. "It's her. She's here." There was a distinct tone of awe and admiration in her voice. "Who's here?," Ruby asked. Weiss smiled at her partner. "My sister." Down in Vale, Qrow and Raven also saw the ship. "Well, well," Qrow noted, "Look who finally showed up. Guess I'll go say hello." Before he left, he turned his head to Raven. "By the way, you also change your mind about Ozpin?" Raven smirked. "Well... I may have underestimated him... Just a little." Qrow grinned, and headed for Beacon.

To be continued...

 **There's a reason why I'm showing Jaune as carrying Crocea Mors, but I won't reveal it just yet. That's for later chapters. In the meantime, read and review.**


	26. Chapter 26: Forces Joined

**Volume 4 of RWBY seems to suggest that the villains are a tight-knit group while the good guys suffered from in-fighting. Yeah, this story's putting a stop to that. Really, all it takes is good communication and you can solve about 95% of your problems. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 26: Forces Joined

Ruby raced after Weiss as she headed for the Beacon Academy docks, where her sister's airship has just docked. "Winter!," she called out to the young woman who disembarked, along with several Atlesian Knights. Winter saw her younger sister running towards her and smiled. "I thought you'd be rushing here the second you saw my ship. I saw your fight earlier. You still have a long way to go, but I will admit I was impressed with your teamwork. So, this must be Ruby." She looked over to the red-head, who rubbed the back of her head nervously.

Weiss nodded. "Yeah. She may not seem like much, but she is a capable tactician when it truly counts. I hope you're okay with me getting passed over as team leader." Winter gave a dismissive shrug. "The decision ultimately falls with the academy headmasters, and I've never known them to choose wrong. Besides, a good leader doesn't necessarily make a good team. I watched several teams during yesterday's fights that failed due to bad teamwork." Weiss nodded. "Thanks, sister. That makes me feel at ease. So, what are you doing here?"

"I can't discuss it here," Winter replied, "Ironwood told me about you and several other students becoming 'Junior members', so you'll find out when we reach Professor Ozpin's office. That said, I intend to stay until the tournament's conclusion." She then smiled. "Oh, and Whitely says hi." To Ruby's surprise, both sisters started giggling. As the trio started walking, accompanied by the Knights, Winter started discussing things. "General Ironwood mentioned the change in security, calling in assistance from both Vacuo and Mistral. I must admit I was a little surprised, but it does sound practical. So, Weiss, how have you been?"

"I've definitely been enjoying my time here," Weiss said, "It was slow going at first, but I've managed to make quite a few friends." Winter then smirked. "And one boyfriend, if Father's talk with you is any indication. I'd like to meet Mr. Vasilias for myself is possible." Weiss sighed, knowing she'd wind up embarrassed when Winter met Neptune. Still, there was little she could do about it. "You'll likely be seeing him when we meet with Ozpin." Meanwhile, Ruby had gotten ahead just as someone else came up to the group from behind.

Without a word, the figure, Qrow as it happened, took out the Knights walking furthest from the group. "Hey...," he called, clearly half drunk, "Ice queen." Weiss whirled around and yelled, "Why does everyone insist on calling me that!?" Qrow shook his head. "Not you, kid. Your sister." Winter narrowed her eyes. "So you're in town too." Qrow smirked. "Yeah. I saw that gaudy ship of yours and decided to stop by." Winter glared as she approached Qrow. "You do realize you just destroyed Atlas military property, right Qrow?" Weiss became confused. "Wait, you two know each other?"

Winter sighed. "Unfortunately." Qrow chuckled. "Aw, don't be like that. I thought we parted on good terms. By the way, couldn't help but notice all the other, non-Atlesian security forces. Guess Ironwood's become a different type of sellout. Or maybe he just lost faith in his ability to protect the people." Winter started to really get mad. "Just where do you get off saying things like that?" Qrow shrugged. "Just impressed Ironwood finally found his common sense. Makes me wonder what took him so long. Or maybe someone found it for him." Winter calmly drew her sword. "Better silence that tongue before I do it for you."

Qrow smiled and pushed back his bangs, suddenly looking a lot less inebriated. "If you think you can, go for it." Taking the bait, Winter shot forward at a speed that could rival Ruby's Semblance. She made several sword thrusts at Qrow's head, but he calmly dodged each one before brining out his sword Bloodborne. The two then clashed for a few seconds as Ruby noticed the crowd gathering around them and hurried to where Weiss was. "What's going on?," Ruby asked. Weiss pointed to the fight. "Some lunatic is attacking my sister."

Ruby gasped. "That's awful." As she turned to look at the fight, she said, "How would do such a-and it's my uncle!" She became instantly excited as Weiss looked flabbergasted at the revelation. "Kick her butt, Uncle Qrow!," Ruby called out. Weiss was confused at first, but then called out, "Teach him respect Winter!" Meanwhile, Mercury was passing by the crowd, at first uninterested in the fight. However, he saw Qrow out of the corner of his eye and did a double-take. "Oh sweet Dust...," he muttered as he hurried off.

Meanwhile, Winter had finally managed to get a good hit on Qrow's jaw with the hilt of her sword, but he shrugged it off with a smile and a glint in his eye. He then leaped into the air and brought Bloodborne down. Winter quickly used her glyph Semblance to leap out of the way as Qrow hit the ground, tearing up the courtyard with just one blow. Winter landed right outside on the lawn, but Qrow quickly followed her, his attempted slash cutting down one of the lampposts.

Winter jumped over the attack, landing on the wide blade. Smirking, she leapt again and clung to one of the exterior archways of the courtyard. Qrow eyed her for a bit before rushing after her, firing off the shotgun in his weapon. He landed on the opposite archway, the two running parallel as Qrow kept firing. Winter then created a quick mist that covered her form. Qrow waited for a moment to see what she would try, but put his guard up when he saw her flying right at him, sword pointed in his direction. She hit a switch on the hilt, releasing a separate, shorted blade.

Qrow blocked the assault, and the two fell to the courtyard, continuing their clash. After a fierce assault that knocked Qrow back a few feet, he smiled and started to reconfigure his weapon. However, he suddenly saw something and canceled it, then taunted Winter to make her next attack while he put away his weapon. Winter hesitated for a moment, then charged in headlong. She stopped however, when she heard Ironwood call out, "Schnee!" She turned around to see Ironwood standing there, Penny not far from him. "What's going on here?," Ironwood asked.

Winter sighed. "Sorry, Sir. I wound up letting my anger get to me when he insulted our military." Ironwood noticed Qrow and sighed. "Good to see you're finally back." "Indeed," came Ozpin's voice as he, Glynda, and Leonidas walked up to the scene. "Geez Qrow," Leonidas said, "You're lucky I'm a nice guy, or I'd have you arrested for public inebriation. Again." Qrow shrugged. Ozpin chuckled. "All right, everyone. There's a sanctioned fight happening at the Colosseum that has much better seats, and popcorn. So if you would kindly break this up?"

As the crowd dispersed and Glynda started using her Semblance to repair the damage, Ruby leapt at her uncle. Grabbing his arm, she called out, "Uncle Qrow! Hi." Qrow chuckled as Ruby ecstatically said, "Did you miss me? Did you miss me!?" Sarcastically, Qrow replied, "Nope." He rubbed Ruby's head as Ozpin walked over to them. "I think we'll be having an additional discussion in my office." Qrow blinked, then bent over to whisper to Ruby, "I think I'm in trouble." Ruby grinned. "You did kinda tear up our courtyard."

* * *

Later in Ozpin's office, Qrow saw there were more than Ozpin, Glynda, Ironwood, Leonidas, and Winter there. Ozpin had allowed Ruby and Weiss to follow them, plus the rest of their team was already there. Penny was joined by her own team, plus there were Teams JNPR, CRDL, SSSN, and SLVR. "Nobody told me there was a recruitment drive," Qrow said, "Did you guys finally talk out your problems while I was gone?" "Depends," Leonidas said with a smirk, "Have you actually gone a whole minute without downing some kind of liquor?"

Qrow blinked and looked around. "We do have students here..." Yang chuckled. "Me and Ruby sometimes refer to him as our 'Drunkle Qrow'," she said to Blake, making her burst out in laughter. Ironwood cleared his throat. "Regarding your earlier... Confrontation... I take it you are least somewhat aware of what we've been doing." "Yeah," Qrow said, "And despite my earlier quips I really am impressed. So, does this mean you've finally stopped arguing and started making some headway?" "Yeah," Leonidas said as he brought up his scroll, while a large vid-screen popped up.

"Here you see the results of the Team Round of the tournament," Leonidas explained, "I don't know if you saw the fights yesterday, but some of my men did see you arrive in Vale in time for today's fights." Qrow nodded. "Yeah, I saw 'em. What of it? Seemed like a typical tournament." Leonidas nodded, then isolated the previous day's fights. CRDL had battled Team ASRE (azure) of Atlas and won. Team JINX of Atlas won against Team FLME (flame) of Haven. Team IVRY (ivory) of Shade won against Team HNTR (hunter) of Atlas. Team KOBE of Haven won against Team GRZL (grizzly) of Beacon.

Then there was the inter-academy fights. For Beacon there was Team CFVY and Team DMND (diamond) with CFVY winning. Atlas had Teams SABR (saber) and BNDT (bandit) with SABR winning. Shade had Teams MTLL (metal) and DSRT (desert) with MTLL winning. Finally, Haven had Teams FLLW (fallow) and JNGL (jungle) with FLLW winning. It didn't take Qrow long to realize what the problem was. "There's an even number of teams from each academy going into the Doubles Round."

Leonidas nodded. "While it is certainly plausible for such an outcome to occur, the very nature of the tournament renders the odds of it happening very remote. In fact, never once has it ever happened in the history of the Vytal Festival Tournament. Now, because it is theoretically possible, I didn't immediately think 'this is something our enemies' did', so I dug deeper. And then I noticed something when I checked the stats for the contestants." He brought the fights that for the teams present. What everyone saw in the room shocked them. "Wait," Ruby said, "We all had an advantage over our opponents?"

Leonidas nodded. "An overwhelming advantage, especially your team and Team JNPR. Suddenly it looked a little more like someone was rigging the tournament roster. To double-check that, I went straight to the only thing I knew would able to do that, the virus planted in the CCT. While most of its programs have been stopped, it's still linked to certain functions. And sure enough, there was a program that would let the host user manipulate the tournament to their advantage." Ironwood grumbled. "Trying to shut down the CCT, manipulating the Vytal Festival Tournament..."

"And let's not forget the attack on Amber," Qrow chimed in. Ironwood nodded. "Our enemies are striking our civilization where it hurts... The very symbols of our kingdoms' unity." Jaune grew angry. "Dad, these people... Could they be responsible for what happened to Mom?" Leonidas sighed and nodded. "I'm afraid so. They knew the Arc family would be a great hindrance to them, and so sought to cripple us." Ironwood turned to Leonidas and nodded, and the police chief brought up a picture of Team MACE as they knew them.

"Supposedly this is a team from Haven," Ironwood explained, "While we know that a Team MACE exists, Haven's records have been hit with a similar virus. They're currently swamped with clearing out their files." "Which is more reliable than a lengthy check of the students, I get it," Qrow said. He took a good look at the four pictures. "I don't recognize that girl Alice, but the other three were definitely there when Amber was attacked. What made you suspicious of them?" "That would be because of me," Ren chimed in, "My Semblance allows me to detect inconsistencies in the physiology of any living being or Grimm, and it's based on my current perception."

Jaune stepped forward. "Those three have been passing themselves off as students, but Ren's Semblance noted they were too old to be students. So, unless they've, like, been held back or something..." "I thought our infiltrators to be mere grunts working for our enemies," Ironwood said, "But if they are the ones responsible for the attack of one of our guardians, then extra steps must be taken. For now we should let the tournament continue, in spite of their manipulation. Then once they've shown their hand, we play our trump card."

* * *

Meanwhile in Cinder's dorm, Mercury was relaying what he saw. "And you're sure it's him?," Cinder asked. "Oh yeah," Mercury replied, "Guy's rather distinctive." Emerald grew worried. "What do we do about this?" Cinder shrugged. "There's nothing we have to do. They don't know who we are, so we don't have to worry about being found. And we still have control over the system, so we can manipulate the tournament as we need." She made a few commands on her scroll. "We'll be having our next battle against Team CFVY. You two should be able to handle Coco and Yatsuhashi. Be sure to give the crowd a good fight." She grinned, but inwardly the situation had her worried.

To be continued...

 **In for a penny, in for a pound, eh Cinder? Yeah, she knows something's wrong, but right now her plans are in motion and to back out would be a sign of weakness she really cannot afford. Read and review.**


	27. Chapter 27: Doubles Round Begins

**Check it out, it's a brand new year. One thing about Volume 4 that I am really grateful for, knowledge. Thanks to things being revealed there, I can get into topics early. This is going to be one of my biggest themes in this story, the need for proper communication. You'll be seeing it quite frequently. The good guys will be getting their act together and actually planning things out, while the bad buys will slowly break down. Also, we'll be having a couple characters who are somewhat ripped from Danganronpa, so... Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY, Devil May Cry, or Danganronpa.**

Chapter 27: Doubles Round Begins

The crowds at the Amity Colosseum cheered as the Doubles Round for the Vytal Festival Tournament began. The first fight was between Coco and Yatsuhashi from Team CFVY, and Mercury and Emerald from Team MACE. There were now four biomes being used, in this case forest, savanna, urban, and geyser. Mercury and Emerald started by launching back into a concealment of grass. Coco fired her Razor Couture in an attempt to nullify the concealment, but the duo had already vanished. Before Coco and Yatsuhashi could react, Mercury appeared out of nowhere from above and got in multiple hits.

Coco got separated from her teammate, only to run afoul of Emerald who dragged her into the forest biome. Yatsuhashi stood against Mercury in the geyser biome, but was quickly overwhelmed and defeated. Emerald then used her Semblance to trick Coco into seeing her teammate before catching her off-guard, knocking Coco out and winning the match. In the stands, Lionel and Rasaki watched the entire thing. "Think we could have dealt with that?," Lionel asked. Rasaki just shrugged. "Hard to say. Given what we know, it's likely they chose the team they'd defeat the easiest. But right now we have our own battle to win. Sydney chose us to represent SLVR, so let's not disappoint him."

* * *

Elsewhere, Weiss was having tea with her older sister Winter. "Originally I was just supposed to escort a delivery of Knights to Vale," Winter explained, "But then General Ironwood contacted me and stated that I was to stay on as part of the security force. Father... Tried... To put a stop to it, but then received a message from a certain police chief, reminding him of something he didn't want to discuss." Weiss rolled her eyes in amusement. "Yeah, the threat of Father's more... Questionable business practices being made public is certainly a good motivator. Even though there's already been some rumors."

"Rumors are one thing," Winter said as she sipped her tea, "But there's no deflecting blatant evidence. By the way, I've been told about Neptune. Surprisingly, Father seemed happy that you're even considering a young man." Weiss shrugged. "Well, he can be a bit of a goofball, but he's charming. And he made a good first impression. Speaking of, just what was Qrow talking about earlier?" Winter sighed. "I knew that was coming sooner or later. Let's just say the rare moments when he's sober are some of the best times I've had... And leave it at that."

Weiss raised an eyebrow as she sipped her tea, but didn't press the issue. Winter then turned serious. "So, how has your training been progressing?" "I was hoping you'd ask," Weiss said with a smile. She conjured a glyph which summoned a very familiar broadsword. Winter examined the sword, impressed. "So you've already started mastering summoning." "Just the basics," Weiss admitted, "Me and Ruby had been teaching each other. While I helped her improve her discipline, she taught me how to more flexible in battle. It's not perfected quite yet, so I don't plan on revealing it during the tournament."

She demonstrated what she meant by tapping on the sword, revealing it to be fragile. "It's still an improvement," Winter said, smiling, "And here Father was certain you'd never be able to learn so far from home." "That's the difference between you and me," Weiss noted, "You tried to leave on your own, but things proved difficult. I soon realized the need to ask aid from my friends, and look at what happens. Just because I want to live my own life doesn't mean I should try living it by myself." Winter nodded. "I'm glad you realized what I had long been missing. And to be honest, Ruby does seem capable, if eccentric."

* * *

"You'll never beat me old man!," Ruby called out, as she and her uncle played a fighting-style video game. Also in the room were Yang and Raven. Unfortunately for Ruby, her earlier statement proved false. "Jeez," Raven said, "Is that the best you got? Your mother could beat Qrow with one hand tied behind her back. I'm not even lying." "By the way," Qrow said, "Don't ever call me old." Raven shook her head as she shoved Qrow aside. "One side, bro, got some mother-daughter time to catch up on." Yang had already taken Ruby's place at the vid-screen.

"So Uncle Qrow," Ruby said, "You were telling us about your last mission." "The punchline has to do with the female innkeeper and her skirt," Raven snorted. Qrow gently punched his sister in the arm. "Really, Raven?" "Oh please," Raven retorted, "If I didn't call you out on it, Yang would have. She's already got the pillow ready." That got the four of them laughing. "Man," Raven said, "This really takes me back to our own academy days." "Really?," Yang asked. "Yeah," Raven said, "Me, your uncle, Ruby's mom, and your dad were on the same team together. Team STRQ. And much like Ruby, her mom Summer was also team leader."

"Bet you guys didn't do anything like our trip to Mountain Glenn," Ruby chimed in, "It's funny, but ever since Roman was captured all crime in Vale has stopped. But we're pretty sure he's not the mastermind behind everything." Qrow raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh, got that instinct, huh? Looks like someone's growing up faster than I thought. I've been gone way too long. I mean, I leave you for a few months, and the next thing I know you've gotten in a prestigious academy and found a boyfriend." Ruby then realized something. "That reminds me, Team SLVR is having their match right now."

* * *

Lionel and Rasaki were up against two members from Atlas' Team JINX, Junko Enoshima and Ibuki Mioda. Rasaki was clashing with Junko, her Valentine Belle keeping the older student a good distance away. Junko fired off a few shots from her twin Dangan Danger pistols to throw Rasaki off-guard, before swapping them to tomahawk mode and moving in closer. Rasaki simply retracted the sword before unleashing her Semblance, blinding Junko long enough to knock her out of the ring. Meanwhile, Lionel was using his Titan Leash to effortlessly move across the swamp biome, getting the upper hand on Ibuki, who was having hard time hitting the Faunus in spite of his larger frame.

She sighed before shifting her Rave Beat, a guitar that doubled as a rifle, to its battle axe mode. She tried to maneuver herself to a position where she could intercept Lionel's movement, only for him to stop short and pound the ground, his Semblance causing a small wave in the swamp water that caused Ibuki to stumble, letting Lionel knock her out. As Team SLVR was declared the winner, Cinder watched from the stands, wondering why Sydney had chosen not to participate himself. _'True, it's not uncommon for team leaders to leave the later rounds to their teammates, but with Sydney's new power he could dominate this tournament. There's something about his Semblance he doesn't want too many people knowing about.'_

To be continued...

 **Yeah, it's as simple as Sydney's evolution having limitations. Not that it's the last time we'll see it. But things are getting closer, and that all important event is coming. Can you smell the anticipation? No? Oh, must have been me then. Read and review.**


	28. Chapter 28: Preparations

**I have something I should say. Up until this point, I've been using the actual episodes for reference. But from now on I won't be doing that. Oh, there will still be similarities to cannon, up to a certain point. But soon enough I'll be going off-rails as far as canon is concerned. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 28: Preparations

The Doubles Round of the Vytal Festival Tournament was slowly drawing to a close. Already Team JNPR had bested Team KOBE, Team SABR had defeated Team BTLE, Team SSSN had won against Team MTLL, and Team IVRY had beaten Team FLLW. This left just two more fights before the long awaited Singles Round. And right now the first of those fights was underway. The fight was against Ciel and Penny from Team CPPR, and Russel and Sky from Team CRDL. The fight was already well underway as the two CRDL members ran for cover in the mountain biome.

"Jeez," Sky remarked, "Just how strong is Penny supposed to be? Does she even need schooling?" Before Russel could reply, the two of them felt themselves get raised into the air. Penny had dug her blades into the boulders the boys had hidden behind and lifted them into the air. "Make it quick," Ciel said, "We still have that appointment." "It won't take long," Penny responded, before slamming down the two boulders and knocking out both opponents. With that, Team CPPR was declared the winners. As the duo left the arena, Penny spotted Ruby.

"That was awesome Penny," Ruby said, "Looks like it's just my team left." Penny nodded. "By they way, I managed to work out a deal with General Ironwood. Since my team reached the Singles Round, he said I could schedule more visits to Beacon." Ruby smiled as the two friends. "That's great, Penny! Now we can see each other more often!" She looked to see Weiss and Yang waiting in the arena for their fight. "So," Yang said, "Our opponent is Team FNKI." "Normally I'd expect a rigid and strictly trained team," Weiss noted, "But I recently watched the fight between Team SLVR and Team JINX. And given Junko and Ibuki, I think we should be ready for anything."

Sure enough, the duo that approached them was nothing like what one would expect from Atlas. The two representatives from Team FNKI were Flynt Coal, a young man dressed like a jazz player and wielding a trumpet, and Neon Katt, a Faunus girl with a cat tail who dressed like a party girl complete with what looked like glow sticks. Flynt lowered his sunglasses as he eyed Weiss. "Well, well, if it isn't the young Miss Schnee. I heard a lot about your family." Weiss just looked at him. "Is that right?" "Yeah," Flynt said, "You know, my dad had his own little Dust shop at one point. It was good living, until your dad ran us out of business."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You're not holding a grudge against me for something my father did, are you?" Flynt dropped his glare as he gave a few blinks. Clearing his throat, he muttered, "Not anymore..." Meanwhile, Neon was busy speaking with Yang. Yang rolled her eyes as she weathered quip after quip about her appearance. Finally Neon, realizing Yang wasn't listening, asked, "Is this even affecting you a little?" Yang, chuckled, replied, "Sorry, but it's hard to take criticism on my appearance from a lollipop on roller blades." Neon gaped at the comment. "Oh, it is on now!"

And with that, the battle began. Flynt started by launching a massive blast from his trumpet Smooth Wave, hoping to push the two girls back. Yang simply leapt away from the shockwave while Weiss anchored herself with her glyphs. Neon chased after the blonde while Flynt tried a second blast. Weiss used her glyphs to buffer the wave as she approached slowly. Flynt then stopped his blast, the sudden lack of resistance sending Weiss rushing ahead. Realizing what he was trying, Weiss simply created several ice blocks to throw off Flynt's intended attack.

"Okay," Flynt said, "Was not expecting that." Meanwhile, Yang was freerunning through the urban biome chasing after Neon, who was using her roller blades to similar effect. Yang fired off a few shots from Ember Celica, but Neon managed to dodge them. After a bit, Neon moved in to attack, striking at Yang several times. Yang kept her guard up, bearing the full brunt of each hit to charge her Semblance. Seeing a chance to strike, Yang threw a punch at Neon's shoulder hoping to hinder her. The blow worked, and knocked Neon back a bit, but she still smiled as she had manged to use her glow sticks, which were really a nunchaku named Bright, to freeze Yang's leg.

Seeing this, Yang quickly broke the ice by slamming her leg into the ground, causing Neon to rush away for another attack. As the attack came in, Yang backflipped out of the way, surprising Neon. "Aren't you supposed to try blocking these?," she asked. "Not when getting hit means getting iced over," Yang quipped. Neon responded by rushing past Yang to build up speed across the arches and rails, finally moving in to kick Yang in the stomach. This time Yang took the full brunt though she did move her arms to defend herself, which caused her to be knocked back far less than Neon hoped.

Meanwhile, Weiss had summoned four glyphs and was passing Myrtenaster through them, creating a large, pointed chunk of ice which she aimed at Flynt. Flynt, seeing some bubbling magma near him, aimed Smooth Wave at it and caused the lava to hit the projectile. While he managed to melt the ice before it could reach him, Weiss showed up right behind it, hitting Flynt with a binding glyph. Weiss then boomeranged right at Flynt using another glyph, catching Myrtenaster on the way and delivering a heavy blow. Flynt, now free of the glyph, chuckled. "Not bad, Weiss. But this ain't over yet."

He activated his Semblance, creating three clones of himself in a straight line. The four of them fired off a powerful shockwave, launching Weiss across the field. He walked over to her, then spotted Yang still fighting with Neon. He prepared to to activate his Semblance again, but Weiss, who had managed to use Myrtenaster to keep from being thrown too far, surprised him with a summoned Boarbatusk made of ice. The construct disintegrated as soon as it hit Flynt, but was still strong enough to send him right into a nearby magma pool as it erupted, reducing his Aura past the threshold.

As Flynt got up, Weiss walked over to him. "I wasn't planning on showcasing a flawed version of my summoning, but you kinda forced my hand there." She then turned her attention to the fight between Yang and Neon, using her ice constructs to help Yang finally catch up to the cat girl. A quick punch sent Neon sailing into the geyser biome. She got back up, but the uneven terrain proved a quick disadvantage to her fighting style. One bad trip got her launched by a geyser, which Yang capitalized on with a quick blast from Ember Celica.

With Neon knocked below the Aura threshold, Team RWBY was officially the winner. Flynt approached the two girls as they celebrated. "You really caught us off-guard there. I wasn't expecting that sort of planning." "What planning?," Weiss asked, "Believe it or not, I was just reacting to how you fought." Flynt's jaw dropped at that statement. Neon, who had just recovered, couldn't help but giggle. "Wow, they really got us on all counts, didn't they?" Up in the stands, Winter couldn't help but be impressed with how Weiss fought. "She still has a ways to go, but Weiss has certainly grown much stronger."

* * *

Back in Ozpin's office, he and Qrow were speaking. "Just got word from Ironwood," Qrow said, "Our little infiltrators have taken the bait. They've managed to gain access to his scroll, and now have all the information on his prized student. Gotta admit, if Ironwood can see Miss Polendina as a person and not a machine, he must have a heart after all. So, have you chosen your Guardian?" "Yes," Ozpin replied, "But there's a chance she may have second thoughts. Even Ironwood explained that the equipment was untested. At best it might not even work, at worst... It could completely supplant who we've chosen." As he spoke, Team JNPR walked into the elevator to the office.

To be continued...

 **Yeah... I wanted to change the details of the fight to show how much the girls are improving, but as warriors and as people. We'll be seeing more to come in the next chapter... And oh boy, this is where things start to get crazy. Read and review.**


	29. Chapter 29: The Bait

**Okay, don't want to put this off forever or I'll never finish this story, let alone this arc. See, what's coming up in this chapter is one of those events from canon I just can't change for the purposes of the story. What I can do is lessen the damage by tweaking the details. Please don't hate me for this, trust me the pay-off will be worth it. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 29: The Bait

"Sorry for bringing my team with me," Pyrrha said to Ozpin, "But I figured since we're all working together, it might be best to be on the same page." Ozpin nodded. "Fair enough. And perhaps it's for the best, since what I'm what about to ask of you is not a decision to be made lightly. Tell me, what is your favorite fairy tale?" "Well," Pyrrha said, "I personally like The Girl in the Tower." "Oh, oh," Nora chimed in, "The Shallow Sea." Ren chuckled. "The Tale of Two Brothers." Jaune looked thoughtful before saying, "The Story of the Seasons. It's the same one you recommended, Professor."

Ozpin smiled. "So you remember that. I trust you all know how the story goes?" "Sure," Pyrrha replied, "An old hermit is visited by four sisters, who each show him kindness in a different way. The first encourages him to meditate and reflect, the second brings fruit and flowers to revitalize his garden, the third convinces him to leave his cottage and experience the outside world, and the fourth teaches him to be thankful for what he has. The hermit, who happens to be a powerful wizard, grants each of the sisters a quarter of his power in thanks, and they go throughout Remnant to spread their gifts."

"Too bad magic doesn't exist in real life," Nora noted. "I wouldn't be too sure about that," Qrow chimed in, "Ever hear how old legends have a basis in fact?" The team's eyes all widened. "Hold on," Ren said, "Are you saying...?" "The Maidens from the story do indeed exist," Ozpin finished, "In fact, there was a time when The Story of the Seasons was not a mere fairy tale, but a facet of history. The power of the Maidens is one that seems to transcend Aura and Semblance, and may very well be what some call magic." Nora blinked. "So, how come no one thinks of them as any more than characters in a fairy tale?"

"To explain that," Ozpin replied, "We must show you something important." He and Qrow brought the team to a special vault deep under the academy, where Ironwood, Leonidas, and Glynda were waiting. "In the time before the Great War," Ozpin said, "The Maidens were well-known and well-loved. But certain people desired their power for themselves. The Great War, horrible as it was, provided the perfect cover to hide away the Maidens as nothing more than legend, and a cabal of select individuals gathered to keep that secret, and expose those who would use that power for their own selfish ends. This is that very group."

"Helping to hide the identity of the Maidens," Qrow continued, "Is the fact that the power can be transferred. Let's face it, neither the old hermit from the story nor the original Maidens were immortal. So the power would transfer from one host to the next, always a young female, under a set of rules that, quite frankly, are convoluted and unnecessary. Normally, the next one to obtain the power is the last girl the previous Maiden had in mind. But if the last person the Maiden was thinking of is not a girl, is too old, or is otherwise illegible, the next Maiden will be chosen randomly."

"Unfortunately," Ironwood chimed in, "Current circumstances force us to chose the next Maiden for the previous one. Just prior to your first semester, the current Fall Maiden, Amber, was attacked by three individuals, the same ones you identified as being with the group calling themselves Team MACE. Worse still, for the first time in history one of them, either Cinder or Emerald, was able to steal part of Amber's power for themselves. They would have gotten all of it if not for Qrow's timely intervention." "Okay, so where's Amber now?," Jaune asked.

Ironwood pointed to a large capsule behind the group, inside of which was a young woman several years older than Team JNPR. "She's presently comatose," Leonidas said, "And we've placed her on life support. The reason being if we allow her to die, what's left of her power could be transferred to her assailant due to being the last person on her mind. Even if said assailant is not eligible, there's never been a case where a Maiden's power has been split, and the possibility that the two halves will seek each other out is very real. For that reason Ozpin suggested finding someone to take on the power themselves, but there is a further complication."

"Due to these circumstances," Ironwood explained, "The one chosen cannot simply inherit the power normally. However Atlas has been doing research into Aura and we believe we may have isolated it's source. We have technology that can essentially capture and transfer Aura from one person to another. However the process is risky. Our R&D department says there's a very real chance this transfer could have sever side-effects." Ozpin then turned to Pyrrha. "Pyrrha, you are the one we selected due your exceptional skill and kindness. But many of us, even myself, are beginning to have second thoughts. Right now we're trying to find another option. But if you feel this is the best way, we'll go with it. Just, wait until the tournament ends to make your decision." Pyrrha looked saddened, and her teammates grew worried.

* * *

Later, the Singles Round of the Vytal Festival Tournament was about to being. The finalists were Yang Xiao Long form Team RWBY, Lionel Raye from Team SLVR, Penny Polendina from Team CPPR, Pyrrha Nikos from Team JNPR, Mercury Black from Team MACE, Sun Wukong from Team SSSN, Verona Skye from Team IVRY, and Saranac Pendragon from Team SABR. For this round, only the central octagon of the arena was in bounds and would be raised to a higher elevation, and as such there would be no biomes. Combat in its purest form, exactly what people expected of the final rounds.

The first fight was to begin, with Yang going up against Mercury. Yang took a few deep breaths, knowing what she was supposed to do. _'Whether I can beat Mercury or not, he's going to throw the fight. Whatever these guys want, it's in Beacon, so to get at it they need to discredit the academy. Hope you at least make it look good, Mercury Black, cause I am itching for a good fight.'_ The fight was started, and both combatants flew at each other with their first attacks, Yang's punch colliding with Mercury's kick. Mercury aimed a second kick at Yang's legs, but Yang leapt over him and fired a few shots from Ember Celica.

Mercury blocked the attacks with his forearms, letting his Aura take the brunt of the assault. The two continued to clash until they were forced backwards. Mercury closed in as he dodged blast after blast, landing a downward axe kick once he got close enough. Yang took the chance to nail him with a close-range shot that forced him back, taking the assassin by surprise. _'She's definitely gonna make this interesting.'_ The two continued their clash before Mercury managed to force Yang back with a quick strike to her knee, but she recovered quick enough to block another downward kick.

Before Mercury could use his momentum to continue the assault, Yang surprised him again by grabbing his leg and throwing him across the arena. Luckily for him he was able to use his boots to blast himself back towards his opponent before he was sent out of the arena. "Okay," he said, "Looks like you'll be a challenge after all." Up in the stands, Emerald was waiting for the fight to end. _'Mercury is supposed to throw the fight after making it look good, but it seems he may not have to.'_ She then got a brainstorm, and started focusing her Semblance.

Back at the fight, Mercury had started a series of kicks that Yang barely avoided by flipping out of the way. The silver-haired man responded by leaping into the air and striking Yang in the chest with a flying kick. "Ow," she muttered, "Felt that right through my Aura." She took a look at the scoreboard. It looked pretty even so far, albeit she was ahead by a narrow margin. Mercury then moved in with a flurry of punches and kicks all across Yang's body. Yang quickly put up her guard to absorb the assault, feeling her Semblance charge to levels she never experienced before.

Mercury finished off with a massive salvo that set the entire salvo from his boots that seemed to engulf Yang in flames. Mercury walked away, feeling confident, before Yang called out, "Hey! This fight ain't over yet!" Mercury turned to see Yang, her Semblance now fully charged. Mercury took a look at the scoreboard, and then raised an eyebrow. After a second, he grinned, and started firing again. Yang quickly lowered her stance and weaved her upper body back and forth in a figure eight pattern as she closed, a well-known maneuver known as the Dempsey Roll.

Yang leapt into the air and launched a massive punch. Mercury tried to leap out of the way, but the blow caught his leg just under the knee. Next thing Yang knew, Mercury was on the ground writhing in pain as he clutched his leg. She saw several med-teams rush in, followed by Emerald and the rest of Team RWBY. "What's going on?," Yang asked her sister. Ruby pulled Yang aside as she whispered, "It wasn't the way we expected it, but they still took the bait." She pointed to the replay. At the point Yang had launched her final attack, Mercury had been just above the Aura threshold.

Yang's attack, fueled by her Semblance, had been enough to reduce Mercury remaining Aura to zero percent, winning her the fight. "Okay," Yang whispered back, "But I didn't feel his leg give way under the assault. It felt like punching steel. And when I checked the scoreboard, Mercury's Aura level was way higher." She thought for a second, then saw Emerald looking worried at Mercury's condition and glaring at her. "And I think I know why," Yang noted.

* * *

Cinder met Emerald later in their dorm. "A brief bout of negativity from the crowd's shock at the display of brutality," Cinder noted, "And it can fit in perfectly with our plans. The only downside is Yang didn't get disqualified as we originally intended and could have a chance to redeem herself in the finals. Though considering our plans will halt the tournament before then that won't be an issue. Very interesting twist that keeps our enemies guessing, well done Emerald. Where did you get the idea?"

Emerald smiled. "I saw Yang's attacks were doing more damage to Mercury than we anticipated, and realized she had modified her fighting style. She's always relied on a full-frontal assault to compliment her Semblance, but it seems her Semblance has evolved to the point where she can absorb damage even while defending. As a result, even while countering or blocking, Mercury's attacks were fueling Yang, and his Aura was paying the price. That's when I got the idea to make her believe the fight was more even than it really was."

"And it looks like Mercury understood the plan, lucky for us," Cinder noted, "Still, there is one thing that worries me. The fact that we needed to modify the plan at all. If Yang came to this fight prepared to take on someone with Mercury's skills, that means Ozpin and his little group are getting suspicious of us. I've already set things up in the tournament so that the Grimm will still be riled up when we launch our final phase, but we may be cutting it close. Be ready when the fight between Pyrrha and Penny begins so you can sneak Mercury out of the infirmary." Emerald nodded, but the still lurking feeling of doubt was slowly crawling into her mind.

To be continued...

 **Turns out I found a way to keep Yang out of trouble after all. Once I realized that the concept of the girls working together to help each other overcome their individual weaknesses had been introduced, it meant Yang wouldn't have as tough a time dealing with opponents who specialize in kicks. That gave me this brilliant idea. We keep the drama, without dealing trauma. Hope you guys like how I did this. Read and review.**


	30. Chapter 30: Overseer

**This next chapter is interesting, because part of it is going to be from MY perspective. At least, in a manner of speaking. You'll understand as you read. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 30: Overseer

In every universe that ever existed, or will exist, there are numerous beings with a special gift. The ability to subtlety peer into other universes not their own. They don't realize they can do it, or if they do they don't reveal it, but they do see what other universes are doing. From the events they see, they take ones that peak their interest, and put pen to paper, draft on electronic devices, whatever it takes to make the words stay. Referred to in their own universe as storytellers, the correct term for them is Overseer. I am one such Overseer.

Sometimes Overseers work in groups, united by fate, or like me they work on their own. And because of the nature of their gift, it is possible for one Overseer to catch a glimpse another Overseer has seen through their work. The way the multi-verse works, several Overseers can observe different versions of a single reality, universes where the differences are slim, yet still very visible. The first Overseer to publish the reality they see becomes rich or famous, often both. Though others can still gain recognition for what they see under the right circumstances. I have chosen my path on the very site you are reading from right now.

As I peer into a new universe made manifest by a member of a universe first discovered by a popular group of Overseers, I see how just a simple change in a character, coupled by good decision making on the parts of good men, can influence the direction a world takes. And I see the primary threat before these people, and wonder if a woman who desires to be feared, can become sympathetic. I can only watch and let those who read my observations decide for themselves. But I for one have my doubts. This is the story of one Cinder Fall, a woman who seeks the fall of Beacon Academy.

* * *

I've yet to see the full origin of Cinder, but what I have seen has shown her to be unrepentant in her actions. And sadly, her background in this universe is identical to another I have seen, and it brings much misery in her wake. In some city or other, likely in Mistral but I've no way of knowing for sure, Cinder ran across the petty thief Emerald Sustrai, and cornered her after the girl swiped a ring from a local jeweler. Cinder realized that Emerald possessed a useful Semblance, the ability to alter a person's perception, which allowed her to steal the ring without the jeweler realizing it.

Wanting to use that power for her own ends, Cinder offered Emerald a chance to work with her, promising her she would never go hungry again. Emerald accepted the offer without hesitation, grateful for the chance to leave her old life behind. Cinder also showed Emerald something, likely an ability to control Grimm, but the jury's still out on that one. Now Cinder had the perfect spy on her side for her future plans, but she still needed someone willing to kill on her behalf. The assassin Marcus Black seemed the perfect choice.

However, when the duo reached the spot where Marcus was known to live, they saw him being killed by his own son, Mercury Black. Seeing Mercury's impressive skills, Cinder decided he was a better choice. It's never really explained why Mercury would kill his own father. His image song suggests he was abused by his old man and hated him, yet he acknowledges the skills he learned from Marcus and continued to quote him. Personally, I think Marcus did it on purpose in anticipation for Mercury taking up his mantle, passing the torch via combat to the death. But that's just my personal theory.

Now needing a source of information, Cinder was directed to the criminal underground of Vale by Mercury. It was here she ran into perhaps the best criminal and conman Vale had to offer, Roman Torchwick. It took some negotiation, and convincing that the plan they had in mind could not possibly fail under any circumstance, but in the end Roman agreed to join the group on the condition his partner, the mysterious Neopolitan, was also allowed to join. After impressing Cinder with Neopolitan's combat skill and Semblance, the older woman agreed.

Now Cinder had loyal and trustworthy agents to assist her, and the means to know the city she was targeting, but she also needed an army. The White Fang, a notable Faunus protest group, seemed the perfect choice. But the branch leader they approached, Adam Taurus of the Vale branch, refused to fight for a Human cause. At this point in time, Blake Belladonna was still a member of the group and had briefly seen the trio, though she didn't see their faces, which meant after leaving the White Fang the following day and becoming a student at Beacon, she couldn't tell her friends about the incident, and didn't know about other events to follow.

Regardless of her initial failure to recruit Adam, Cinder put it off for later and moved on to an important step, hunting down one of the Maidens. She already had information on the Fall Maiden, Amber, and chose her for this purpose. Emerald distracted Amber with a hallucination, allowing the trio to get close enough to attack. Amber was able to hold her own due to her powers, but not forever. Eventually they had her at their mercy. Rather than kill her, however, Cinder had far more terrible designs for her. Using a mysterious glove, the nature of which is still unknown, Cinder began to drain Amber's power for herself.

Fortunately, Cinder's attempt to steal the power was interrupted by the timely intervention of Qrow Branwen, who had been monitoring Amber from afar and saw the fight, only moving in when she was captured. Emerald tried using her powers to mask their faces, but it was futile. Qrow's keen eyes, long trained as the eyes of Hunstman, had managed to observe every detail as he approached. Despite the rescue, Cinder still managed to take some of the Fall Maiden power, but the process left her with an empty feeling inside. One she was desperate to fill.

She returned to the White Fang camp. By this time Blake had already disappeared, and rather unfortunate as well. Even with her limited power, Cinder was still able to use the threat of violence to gain the cooperation of Adam. She offered money and Dust in compensation, and the promise that the White Fang would have the chance to realize their ambition. With this, Adam pledged his support, but made a request. That he be allowed to find Blake, so he could take revenge for a perceived betrayal.

* * *

And so, everything is caught up. I watch now as events at the Vytal Festival Tournament's first fight in the Singles Round ends differently than it did in another version of this reality. While Mercury tricking Yang into seemingly breaking his leg has been unavoidable, at least in this version, instead of it coming off as an act of misconduct that had the crowd jeering at her in hatred, it came off as an effective, if brutal and controversial, final blow in the fight. Instead of the people blaming Beacon Academy and Ozpin for training their students such, it's simply seen as an unlucky shot that caught Mercury in the wrong way.

Now instead of Yang being disqualified for attacking an opponent after the fight is already over, she will be moving on to represent her team in the Final Round, where she will have the chance to redeem herself in the eyes of the crowd. Cinder, however, doesn't plan on the tournament making it that far. For the people's shock and horror was still enough to rile up the Grimm, albeit not enough to overpower the security teams stationed at Mountain Glenn. Even as I write my observations, the tournament proceeds. Sun has just defeated Verona, and now Lionel is preparing to fight Saranac. I approach an event that changed everything in the other reality. And I wonder if things will change again.

To be continued...

 **Yep, just some filler since the RWBY episode parallel to this one was one big flashback. Hope you enjoy it, because we're closing in. Read and review.**


	31. Chapter 31: What We Choose

**One of my regular viewers is starting to go stark raving mad waiting for the pay-off. What the hell, I got enough energy refills, so let's do the next chapter. Yeah, gonna be some major, major, MAJOR changes in this chapter. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 31: What We Choose

"I guess it could be worse," Yang said as she and Blake were chilling in their dorm, "So far only Emerald has glared daggers at me. I'd like to think I'm not a violent girl by nature. At least, no more so than any other Huntsman or Huntress." Blake sighed. "I still can't help but be worried for you. Y'know Adam wasn't always the monster he is now. When I first got to know him back in Menagerie, he was a sweet kid. When he got old enough he moved to Vale with dreams of becoming a merchant. However, the next time I saw him was when he joined the White Fang. That's when things took a turn for the worst."

She closed her eyes as a tear fell from them. "Even though Vale was one of the kingdoms that fought for the rights of Faunus, that doesn't mean our kind don't experience problems here. Adam had wound up starting his business in the worst possible place, a known hunting ground for criminals that used violence as a means of extortion. Adam chose to take a stand. It worked well at first, his battles seen as justifiable. Until the gang leaders decided to use his Faunus heritage against him. It wasn't long before he got disillusioned, and lost what faith he had in what he called 'Human justice'."

Ruby and Weiss then walked in. "Hope we weren't interrupting your discussion," Ruby said politely. "Just a cautionary tale," Yang said, "I won't say my situation is different, but I do know when enough is enough. Anyway, I just have to show I can still act like a real Huntress in the finals." "I dunno," came Raven's voice as she entered, "Considering what a sleazeball Mercury is, I would have broken his leg. Assuming it really is broken, that is. But I hope you're ready for this, Yang. The final round is a free-for-all. That boy Sun is another finalist, which means we have two more to select."

"I'm sure Yang could beat Saranac or Sun," Weiss noted, "No offense, Blake. Perhaps she could hold her own against Lionel and Pyrrha. But Penny? Given what we've seen of her, she's the one to beat. Assuming her opponent doesn't win instead." "Who's she fighting?," Ruby asked. "She's supposed to be up against Pyrrha," Raven said, "But there's an issue. Team JNPR is asking to invoke a lesser rule that's been in the tournament since it began. It's the first time it's happened in the eighty years the Vytal Festival Tournament has been held." Ruby breathed a sigh of relief, then hurried to see the fight.

* * *

It was nearing the final battle of the Singles Round. Lionel had just defeated Saranac, securing Team SLVR's spot in the finals alongside Team RWBY and Team SSSN. However, before the final battle between Team CPPR and Team JNPR, the latter was talking amongst each other. "I'm positive," Ren said, "Every time I look at Penny, something is off about her. I can feel her Aura, but nothing else, as if Aura is all she's made of." "Why bring this up now?," Nora asked. "Because of Mercury," Ren explained, "I could feel a similar situation starting just above his knees and moving downward. Pyrrha, you said when you used your Semblance on his weapons, it felt like you were tugging at more, right?"

Pyrrha just seemed off on another world. "Hello!," Nora said, waving her hand in front of her friends face, "Remnant to Pyrrha!" Pyrrha shook her head. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking." "Is this about Amber?," Nora asked, and Pyrrha responded with a nod. "Sorry. It's just... While I do want to take up that mantle, I'm not sure if the consequences are worth it. Ironwood said there could be severe side-effects. I mean, we're talking about transferring Aura. I could wind up completely supplanted by Amber." She sighed and looked at Jaune. "You once told me protecting the people should never come at the expense of who you are. That's why I'm not so sure I can go through with this."

Jaune nodded. "Well, our destinies aren't set in stone. And even if they were, stone can break easily." Pyrrha smiled. "Thanks Jaune. I'm glad you understand." "This is all great and all," Nora said, "But that doesn't solve the immediate problem. If there are similarities between Penny and Mercury, sending in Pyrrha could be really bad. How on Remnant do we get out of this?" Jaune thought for a bit, the realized something. "Come to think about it, there is one thing we can try. The downside is, it might just cost us the tournament." "Better that than fall into an enemy trap," Pyrrha said, "And we still have Team RWBY to represent Beacon."

* * *

The final battle was set to begin. Penny was waiting in the center, but there was no sign of Pyrrha. Ruby was wondering what she and her team were planning when she spotted Emerald in the crowd. _'Thought she'd be here,'_ Ruby said as she got up and headed to investigate. As she approached the other side of the Colosseum, she ran into a familiar face. "Well, well," Mercury said, "I had a feeling you'd be snooping around." "What can I say," Ruby said, revealing Crescent Rose, "It's my job."

Mercury raised an eyebrow. "You... Shouldn't have brought that with you. How on Remnant did you sneak it past the guards?" Ruby smirked. "Oh, I didn't. Ironwood gave me special permission to bring it along in case I ran into you or Cinder." Mercury's eyes widened. _'Crud, she's working with Ozpin's group.'_ "Gotta admit, Red, that catches me off-guard. Not that it'll matter. After all, we know about Penny's little secret. She won't last long against Pyrrha's Semblance of Polarity." Ruby looked outside and smirked. "Who said Penny was fighting Pyrrha?" Mercury looked confused and turned to the arena. His jaw dropped when he saw, not Pyrrha Nikos, but Jaune Arc approach the center arena.

To be continued...

 **To clarify, Jaune was with Pyrrha in the Doubles Round. That'll be important, as you'll see in the next chapter. But yeah, with someone new fighting against Penny, her odds of survival just sky-rocketed. Yeah, this was a short one, but the next one will get more interesting. Read and review.**


	32. Chapter 32: Illusion of Control

**Okay, so during my last chapter, Jaune Arc took Pyrrha's place as Penny's opponent... And people flipped out, both in and out of universe. You might be wondering, how? Well, I'll explain in this chapter, as well as do something that's sure to turn heads. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 32: Illusion of Control

Cinder was in a secret location watching the tournament, eagerly anticipating the moment when her invasion could begin. She made sure Adam and the White Fang could watch it as well, so they would know when to strike. Naturally, Emerald had snuck into the Amity Colosseum to play her part. Cinder had wanted Mercury to stay hidden until it was time, since any sign of him walking around without difficulty would almost instantly repair Yang's image. But he insisted that someone keep people from trying to apprehend Emerald, since there were some watching the fight from the Colosseum who would be suspicious if they saw her.

Cinder relented, if only because the odds of that happening were remote. On the vid screen, Oobleck and Port were ready to announce the fight. 'Before we begin,' Port started, 'We should mention that a last minute change was made to the fight card, at the request of Team JNPR.' Cinder raised an eyebrow, confused. Oobleck continued the announcement. 'Allow us to explain. There is a rule of the tournament that has existed since the very beginning, as a convenience to participants who felt their selections for later rounds wouldn't be able to handle their selected opponents.'

Hearing this, Cinder got a bad feeling. 'The rule in question,' Oobleck continued, 'States that, prior to both the Doubles Round and Singles Round of the tournament, teams may swap out their selected fighters prior to the fight they participate in. To clarify, during the Doubles Round they may swap out one or both of their fighters, but once their fight in the Doubles Round begins the two fighters participating are locked in. Then during the Singles Round, the two team members who did not participate in the Doubles Round cannot participate in the Singles Round, but the two who did can be interchanged at any point prior to the fight.'

"What?," Cinder said, completely shocked. She had not heard that such a rule existed. It had never been done before. 'Surprisingly,' Port said, 'This rule has not been taken advantage of since the tournament first began, but let me assure our viewers both watching from home and in the stands, that this rule does legitimately exist and can be found in the official tournament rules.' Cinder quickly used her scroll to check the tournament rules. There she found it, right towards the end. It was exactly as they had described.

In shock, Cinder dropped her scroll and sat down. With such a rule in place, her ability to control the roster of the tournament through her virus meant little. Sure, once the teams had been selected to fight each other there was no backing out, and during the Team Round there was no issue. But after that is where things got blurry. _'What if Yang had not been selected, or chose to back out? What if Penny decided not to fight? What if Pyrrha... Oh sweet Dust!'_

She suddenly realized what the announcement was getting at just as Port finished up. 'And so with this in mind, Team JNPR has decided to swap out their chosen fighter for this battle. And since Pyrrha Nikos was joined by Jaune Arc in the Doubler Round, it's pretty clear who they're sending. Jaune cited defensive strategies as the reason for the switch, and so with that in mind, facing Penny Polendina of Team CPPR for the right to fight in the Final Round, we have Jaune Arc of Team JNPR!' _'Defensive strategies?,'_ Cinder thought, _'Pyrrha can be just as defensive. No, they know about Penny, they have to know. This is not good. Everything's going wrong... Unless...'_

* * *

Meanwhile at the Colosseum, Ruby took advantage of Mercury's shock at the sudden switch to call for backup. Mercury heard the sudden rush of people and tried to leave, but Ruby stopped him in tracks with her speed Semblance. The assassin aimed a kick in her direction, but she responded by using Crescent Rose to cut a wide slit in his jeans, revealing something interesting. "Well, well," came Ironwood's voice, "Mercury Black, somehow up and about. And judging from what I see, the reason is obvious." Mercury looked and saw Ruby had revealed his robotic prosthetics.

Also there was the rest of Ruby's team, plus several soldiers. "I knew it!," Yang said angrily, "When I managed to nail your leg, it felt like punching a solid steel pipe. Which meant you had to be faking your injury somehow." "Though I do see some slight cracking where your punch landed," Ironwood noted, "Regardless, I believe this should be reported." "I also spotted Emerald in the stands," Ruby said, "I think she may be trying to manipulate the fight." Speaking of the fight, it had already started. Jaune deflected Penny's numerous blades with his own very skillfully, though he did take a couple of hits.

Penny moved in, firing her lasers in a massive barrage. Jaune quickly manifested his Semblance through his right arm so he could fire back with Azure Fang. "Penny's going to have one heck of a fight on her hands," Oobleck commentated, "Jaune's Aura is so strong and durable it can actually regrow at an unprecedented rate, to the point where his Azure Fang allows him to actually weaponize it. While it's not out of the question for Penny to lower Jaune's Aura below the required threshold, her best bet for victory would definitely be a ring out."

Penny got to Jaune, then gathered several of her blades into a single sword, which she grabbed and wound up clashing with Jaune's weapon. Using one hand to steady it, Jaune revved up Roseus Ignis to charge it, causing it glow red with fire Dust. Penny quickly leapt back as Jaune performed a spinning attack, the resulting inferno brushing against her Aura. _'Can't keep this up forever,'_ Penny thought, _'At this rate, my Aura will give out before his. Better give it full blast, then.'_ She rushed forward, her blades in a circular formation as she tried to drive Jaune back further and further.

Up in the stands, Emerald was worried and wondering how she should play this. She figured if Cinder had another plan, she would have contacted her. The good news was that since she couldn't think of any way to influence the fight to Cinder's advantage, she could focus on disguising herself should she get spotted by the wrong people. After all, only so many people knew about her, and the odds all of them would come after her were slim. Besides, she was well blended into the crowd.

Just then she saw several Atlesian soldiers stalking through the crowd. She managed to catch a snippet from one of them and gasped. They were looking for her. The soldier who was asking nearby looked in her direction, but thankfully it was just one and she was able to use her Semblance to deflect his suspicions. At least, that's what she thought until the soldier placed a hand on her shoulder. "You can drop the illusion," the soldier said, "One of my squad mates spotted you from the other side of the Colosseum and told me what seat you were in, Emerald Sustrai."

Emerald was so shocked she lost control of her Semblance. Sure enough, from the soldier's perspective what he had originally seen as a native Vale woman with light-red hair disappeared into the familiar form of Emerald. "Your buddy Mercury already got caught," the soldier said as he helped Emerald up from her seat, "Hopefully you can provide more information for us than Roman has." Back at the fight, Penny's assault had Jaune on pure defense until he felt himself backed up against the side of the arena. Penny prepared her larger laser blast.

Thinking quickly, Jaune flipped the switch on Grimmlock and activated his Semblance to reflect the attack. However, Jaune noticed that, instead and being redirected back to Penny, it was angling up into the air. As the blast subsided, Jaune deactivated his Semblance, only to see Penny right there in front of him. "Sorry about this," she said and delivered a fierce blow that sent Jaune out of the arena. Penny had deliberately aimed at an angle to avoid being hit with her own attack, and took advantage of the semi-opaque nature of Jaune's Semblance to move in close.

"And it's official folks!," Oobleck announced, "With Jaune Arc defeated by ring out, we have our four teams going into the Final Round. Team SSSN represented by Sun Wukong. Team SLVR represented by Lionel Raye. Team CPPR represented by Penny Polendina. And finally, Team RWBY represented by Yang Xiao Long." In the upper boxes of the Colosseum, Ozpin smiled. _'That should hold them off for a while longer. But considering all the trouble our enemy put into this plan, they won't give up so easily.'_

* * *

In an unknown location, far out from any of the kingdoms, Salem watched the events of the tournament using her personal scroll. "It's worse than we thought," she said, "Ozpin and his group have begun to realize their issues and worked around them." Apart from her were three people, all silhouetted. "Don't take it so hard mistress," one of them said, "Acting on your instincts would have been even worse for us. At least this way, we can still pick up the pieces and try another method."

"Regardless," another one said, "Perhaps we should not have trusted this assignment to Cinder." "You know the reason why we needed her for this," Salem retorted, "She and she alone can hold the power of the Fall Maiden, which is vital to our plans." As she spoke, she received a call from Cinder via her scroll. "Besides, I think she's as upset by these setbacks as any of you. Now if you'll excuse, I must take this in private." She got up from her seat and headed to her chambers.

"Before you say anything," she said, "There's no need to apologize. Our enemies simply caught us in a net we had no choice but to fall into." 'It's worse than you know,' Cinder replied, 'I've just learned that Mercury and Emerald have been arrested for conspiracy. And it's only a matter of time before their greater crimes are exposed. I can rescue them, even without the full power of the Maiden, but I'll need a distraction. And if at all possible, perhaps it can be the sort that will allow us to proceed with our plans.' Salem thought for a moment, then smiled. "I believe I can oblige. It seems the most we can hope for from our invasion plans is a stalemate, but at least we can obtain what we desire from this."

To be continued...

 **This will lead into another original event for this story, the Final Round of the Vytal Festival Tournament. And you're welcome for making sure Penny didn't get shut down. We'll see more action next chapter. Read and review.**


	33. Chapter 33: The Final Round

**I'll be honest, there's a scene in this chapter that was inspired mostly by "The Fist of Remnant" by BrightestDarkness. It's actually not a bad fic, though for a RWBY/One Punch Man crossover it's starting to get a little too dark. Also, this is chapter is very much off the rails as there is no basis for it in canon. I mean, it depicts the Final Round of the Vytal Festival Tournament. The actual show never had the finals due to events in the series having the tournament cut short. So yeah, this'll be interesting. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 33: The Final Round

"So you really are a robot," Pyrrha said as she, the rest of Team JNPR, and Teams SSSN, SLVR, CPPR, and RWBY were joining Penny on one of the Atlesian airships. Officially, Penny had been sent to the infirmary citing sore muscles in her arm. That wasn't entirely a lie, but as the group could see, the problem was more in her metal endoskeleton. "Jeez, if Pyrrha had gone up against you, you would have been torn apart," Ruby said, "Which would have been game over for us. Well, maybe not literally game over, but let's face it, from what Mercury told me taking you out was probably important to their plans."

"Certainly seems like it," Penny said with a nod, "And sorry about the state I'm in. See, that move I used against Jaune, where I combined the blades from my Jimminy Williker? I hadn't tried that before, and just like you would risk pulling a muscle if you tried a new move, I could feel the wires from my blades scrape against my endoskeleton." At this moment the arm in question had the artificial skin and muscle removed, and Ironwood was busy inspecting the exposed endoskeleton. "I'm not seeing any sign of damage," Ironwood noted, "Dr. Polendina did design your body to withstand extreme stress."

"That's good to hear," Ruby said with a sigh of relief. "Yeah," Penny said, nodding, "I just wanted to make sure. What with the Final Round coming up." Ruby looked around. "So... Anyone here think our enemies have given up yet?" Everyone looked at each other, but no one said anything or raised their hand. "Yeah, me neither. It'd be way too easy. I mean, they came all the way here and did... Quite a few bad things. Whatever they're after, they aren't leaving until they either get it, or... Well... Get it, if you take my meaning." The others shifted uncomfortably. "So," Penny said, "How about we get something to eat?"

* * *

Meanwhile, at the White Fang's secret location, Adam was monitoring the various strike groups, stationed at key points throughout Vale. His top lieutenants had already selected their command post, and were now waiting for the word. Adam was told by Cinder to wait until the Grimm attacked from Mountain Glenn, a risky proposition but Cinder assured him they would not be harmed. Not that it really mattered to him, these men and women were willing to die for the cause. Thanks to him, they wrote off the events in the tunnels as an occupational hazard.

Regardless, the fact that the attack hadn't come yet had him second-guessing his decision to side with Cinder. He already tried working with Humans, and all it got him was pain. It almost felt like just being around Humans had cursed him. Several of his group, including Blake, had deserted. Most were in prison after the failed raid at the docks or the tunnel breach, and half a squadron was dead. It was a miracle he wasn't working alone right now. "Lien for your thoughts?," came a rather sinister sounding voice.

Adam turned to see a rather pale man, with several scars along his exposed chest, and a scorpion tail extending from his tail-bone. Adam knew who the man was in an instant, having heard the stories. "Tyrian," he said with contempt, "What would a disgrace to the Faunus be doing approaching our brotherhood?" Tyrian gave a maniacal laugh as he sat in a crouch in a nearby chair. "You're the last person who should be talking about disgracing the Faunus, Adam Taurus. I trust dear little Cinder told you about me?" "Not really," Adam said, "I've only been introduced to her enforcers, the thief, the assassin, and the conman. But I have heard of your reputation."

Tyrian looked disappointed as he rubbed his chin, but shrugged. "I guess she wanted to keep it a secret. Oh well, she was chosen for her caution and intelligence." Beneath his mask, Adam raised an eyebrow. "By whom?" "Work long enough with us," Tyrian said as he gave Adam a good natured pat on the back, "And you may just find out. The point is, I'm here on behalf of our glorious leader to clean up Cinder's little mishap. See, the planned invasion should have already happened. But a bit of... Misinformation on our part screwed things up."

It was then that something dawned on Adam. "The sudden switch of Team JNPR's representative in the Singles Round. I saw it on the news. So, I take it Cinder didn't plan on having Jaune fight." "We all expected Pyrrha Nikos to be the one to fight," Tyrian replied, "You see, her opponent may be alive due to the fact that she can use Aura. But while her soul is real, her body is... Shall we say... Artificial. It was planned that Pyrrha would be tricked into tearing Penny apart. But it didn't happen, and now there's nothing stopping the tournament from reaching it's conclusion. But we still need this invasion to happen. I'm here to put it back on track."

"So what do you need from me?," Adam asked. "Nothing much," Tyrian said with a shrug, "Just one of your little Grimm masks. I'll be honest, I don't care for your little 'brotherhood'. I may have respected what you were trying to do five years ago, but really, I never cared what Humans though of me personally. And our kind can certainly take care of themselves. I just thought it'd be poetic if your assault on Beacon Academy... Was preceded by the assassination of a certain politician. One loved by the populace but secretly racist against Faunus."

Adam scowled, but understood Tyrian's reasoning. The White Fang only ever killed important figures when they were known to be prejudiced against the Faunus, and assuming Tyrian wasn't lying this target would be perfect. And since the target was so well-known and respected, his death as the hands of said assassin would bring the Grimm in droves. Sighing, he handed Tyrian the mask in question. "Thanks," the scorpion-Faunus said with a sneer, "Be ready to strike shortly after the tournament. My target will be handing the trophy to whoever wins the Final Round."

* * *

Back in Vale, Teams RWBY, CPPR, SSSN, and SLVR were heading to a local restaurant frequented by students. What they didn't yet know was that a group of lieutenants from the White Fang had already staged themselves there incognito. Said members saw the group of students come in, but largely ignored them. "Penny," Ruby whispered, "Can you even eat?" "Sure," Penny replied, also whispered, "Father's idea. He thought it would draw suspicion if I didn't exhibit normal living being traits. I can even break down foodstuff into bio-fuel."

Pura was the first to notice the group of Faunus not too far away from her. "Aw man, I hope those guys don't go and ruin our chances of ordering anything good." Blake, Sun, Sydney, Rigel, Lionel, Viridian, and Rasaki all laughed at that. "Come on, Pura," Blake said, "Do you really think Faunus sympathize with animals? That very notion is completely stupid. I mean, my favorite food is tuna. Yes, it's a cat-based stereotype, but I honestly don't care. I've seen pig-Faunus order pork dishes. Rasaki is okay ordering venison."

Pura blushed in embarrassment. "S-Sorry... I keep forgetting Faunus are still ninety-nine percent Human. I mean, you must have noticed during the tournament how rare Faunus students are in Atlas." "It's not like things are as bad as they were when Mantle was still relevant," Rigel explained, "But with how strict the Atlesian military is, many Faunus get scared off and migrate to other kingdoms for Huntsman training." "Wow," Yang said, almost seductively, "Tough guy, huh? My favorite kind." One of the lieutenants, Burnie, looked surprised. "Wait, a human flirting with a Faunus? What's the scam?"

The group of students looked at the ten of them. Blake's eyes then widened. "Micheal? Gavin? Chris? Burnie? Gus? Kerry? Lindsay? Miles? Barbara? Ryan?" Several of the lieutenants looked back at her. "Blake?," Lindsay finally said, "What are you doing here?" "What did no one tell you?," Sun said, "Blake attends Beacon Academy. I'm guessing you guys know her from her home town?" The ten White Fang members looked at each other. Without their masks, it wasn't immediately obvious they were White Fang, and they had already sworn the owner of the restaurant to secrecy.

"Yeah!," Gavin said abruptly, "I mean, most of us are from here in Vale, but Blake's been living in town for quite a while." It wasn't a complete lie. "Just out of curiosity," Ruby said, "Did she say anything about her time with the White Fang?" "Ruby," Blake said, "All ten of these people are White Fang lieutenants." The following silence was deafening. It was Kerry who finally broke it. "We... Had no idea they knew about you." Blake gave him an indignant look. "Do you really think I wouldn't trust my own friends and teammates with such a secret?"

The ten lieutenants looked at each other and sighed. "We weren't sure if you were comfortable telling them," Barbara admitted, "Especially since one them is a Schnee." "Oh please," Weiss said, "Do you really think all of us are like my father? And do you know how much that sounds like a Human thinking all Faunus are the same?" Several of the group of ten shifted uncomfortably. "Oh," Micheal suddenly said, "I should probably warn you Blake, Adam has made finding you a top priority. Seriously, I think he's really lost it. If not for what happened to Tukson after he tried to leave, we'd all be gone."

Ruby looked confused. "How would Tukson leaving for Vacuo convince you guys to stay?" The lieutenants blinked at him. "Wait," Micheal said, "He actually made it out? We were told he was killed for desertion. You know what, that tears it! If Adam wants this little invasion of Beacon, he can Dust well handle it himself! Hey Green, can we get our check?" After the now-former lieutenants paid for their meal, they left, only leaving their masks behind. Blake, on the other hand, was livid. _'So leaving him stranded on a train didn't make it clear, huh? Well if I ever see him again, I'll paint him a clearer picture.'_

* * *

It was finally time the battle royal that would finish the Vytal Festival Tournament. "This is going to be an exciting conclusion to an already exciting tournament," Oobleck announced, "And how appropriate that in a landmark anniversary of the Vytal Festival, all four finalists come from a different kingdom. We have Lionel Raye from Vacuo representing Team SLVR, Penny Polendina from Atlas representing Team CPPR, Sun Wukong from Mistral representing Team SSSN, and Yang Xiao Long from Vale representing Team RWBY."

"Indeed," Port noted, "And each of these contestant has had quite the colorful run during the tournament. Sun, as the sole team leader in this final battle, has shown unorthodox yet skillful battle tactics, mixing his homeland of Vacuo with his schooling in Mistral. Yang, despite her controversial method of defeating Mercury Black during the Singles Round, is still considered one of the favorites to win due to her impressive fighting skills. Penny is seen as the second favorite due her victory over Jaune Arc, previously believed to be unbeatable due his superior defenses."

"But perhaps the biggest rising star in this Final Round is Lionel," Oobleck continued, "Team SLVR is the first ever recorded all-Faunus team in any academy, even in Vacuo where racism against Faunus is virtually non-existent. A victory for Lionel could make huge waves, and as such the eyes of the world are all on him." As the four fighters took their place in the arena, Tyrian watched from the upper stands. He had already spotted his target. He knew where the man would enter and exit from. All he had to do was wait until the trophy was delivered to the winner.

As for the fight itself, he would be rooting for Yang. The girl was a blood knight like himself, something he could respect. Of course, it didn't really matter to him who won the fight, but he had to wait until it was finished before he could make his move, so he might as well enjoy himself. For the final battle royal, all sixteen biomes would be shuffled and placed randomly at each point in the arena. Ice, lava, forest, mountain, desert, ocean, urban, geyser, savanna, anti-gravity, swamp, industrial, grassland, quarry, factory, and ruins, with the center being raised.

As the countdown started, each fighter picked their target. Port gave the final countdown. "Three... Two... One... Go!" Sun immediately back-dashed into the forest biome, followed quickly by Lionel. Meanwhile Yang and Penny were dashing to the other side of the arena, Yang having to dodge around Penny's blades. They soon found themselves in the ruins biome, where Yang used the terrain to her advantage by freerunning across the various structures to flank Penny. Up in the stands, the four teams being represented watched the fight.

"I have no idea who to root for here," Ruby said, "I mean, we have one of my best friends fighting my sister. How do I choose?" "You think that's bad?," Blake retorted, "My boyfriend and my best friend are on two different sides here. What's gonna happen when they clash?" Blake wouldn't have long to worry, however. Lionel had managed to corner Sun in the ice biome. Sun's natural agility let him dodge around the rhino Faunus, but Lionel was as fast as he was strong, and soon caught up to the monkey Faunus with a vicious headbutt.

Stunned, Sun was unable to brace himself when Lionel used his Semblance to send a shockwave that tossed the male blonde out of the arena. "And it looks like Sun is the first to be defeated," Oobleck noted, "Looks like Haven won't be adding to its streak this year. Now the question is, will Lionel help Yang, Penny, or try to take them both on?" Lionel scanned the arena for any sign of the other two fighters. Once he spotted them at the edge of the mountain biome, he fired off his Titan Leash in movement mode, barely missing Penny as she spotted the incoming shot and dodged.

Lionel activated his Semblance once he reached where Penny was, throwing the robot girl off-balance. Penny managed to steady herself and fired off her massive laser. Both and Lionel and Yang quickly dodged out of the way. Lionel quickly shifted Titan Leash into missile launcher mode, firing off a salvo that Penny jumped to dodge. Unfortunately for her, Yang leapt off the mountainside and blindsided her with a few shots from Ember Celica, followed by a massive strike to Penny's chest that sent her sailing out of the arena.

With that, it was down to just Lionel and Yang, right in the center of the arena. The two grinned, then started trading blows. During the assault, Lionel began using more and more power, to the point where Yang had to stay on-guard just to keep from losing Aura. "What's up with Lionel?," Weiss asked, "He's just going to make Yang stronger going all out like that." "I think that's the point," Sydney explained, "Lionel knows he's too strong to try cherry-tapping Yang, so he's going in the opposite direction. Either cause as much damage as possible to lower Yang's Aura faster, or try to force her out of the arena."

The constant barrage between the two combatants soon pushed the fight though the various biomes. At first Yang was able to hold her own, but eventually she found herself losing her footing. The fight had reached the anti-gravity biome, which did indeed have lower gravity like in some of the training simulators. Yang was soon able to regain her balance, only to see Lionel quickly jumping across the floating platforms. Yang soon realized she was right next to the edge of the arena just as Lionel set off one final barrage, knocking Yang off the platform she was on and right onto the ground outside the arena.

"And that's it folks!," Oobleck called out excitedly, "Yang Xiao Long has been taken out with a final ring out! That makes it a win for Lionel Raye and Team SLVR, meaning Shade Academy is the winner for the Vytal Festival Tournament!" Yang picked herself up as Lionel walked over to her. "Well," she said, "A loss is a loss. Good fight." The two shook hands as their teams ran over to them. Several minutes later, the four teams were placed on four different pedestals of different heights, depending on their place in the tournament roster.

Checking the standings was City Mayor Oren Thompson, the same target Tyrian had selected. "A shame our own kingdom couldn't win this year," Oren said with a shrug, "But second place is the best we've had in the last five tournaments. Still don't know how to feel about a Faunus being the ultimate victor." Oren's aid just shrugged. "Better to suck it down, sir. To deny the first ever all-Faunus the victory after they worked so hard for it would ruin your image." Oren nodded. "Fair enough." The two of them walked out to where the teams were waiting.

Since all four kingdoms wound up represented in the Final Round, the awards were handed out depending on the order of elimination in said round. That meant Haven got the fourth place bronze trophy, Atlas got the third place silver trophy, Vale got the second place gold trophy, and Vacuo was presented with the giant first place platinum trophy. Lionel proudly raised the trophy above his head, his partner and team leader Sydney giving him a good natured pat on the back for an excellent job. Lionel put down the trophy long enough to accept a congratulatory hand shake from Oren.

Oren then returned to the entrance he came from, only to see someone standing there with a very familiar mask. Before the city mayor could contemplate this, Tyrian had already struck the man with his poisonous stinger. He stuck around long enough for the cameras to turn towards him, and gave a maniacal laugh before speeding away. Several guards tried to chase after him, but he already had his escape plan. _'That should get the ball rolling,'_ he thought, _'Now let's hope sweet little Cinder Fall doesn't screw this up.'_

* * *

The effect was exactly as Tyrian planned. The blatant murder of a political official was broadcast across the kingdom, and while the feed was cut in time to prevent any Grimm incursions in Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo, Vale was not so lucky due to the Colosseum being there. The concentrated negative energy alerted the Grimm in Mountain Glenn, who immediately began to move. Rather than try to hold them back there, the security forces immediately retreated to Vale to reinforce the lines there.

On a certain Atlesian airship, Neopolitan, who up until a certain point had been in her disguise as Alice Liddel, was now disguised as a soldier. She soon found what she was looking for. Roman Torchwick, still locked in his special cell where he could watch the tournament. He smiled when he saw his partner in crime again. "It's about time," he said, "I was starting to think I'd get left in here." "Took a little longer than expected," Neopolitan explained, "Poor Cinder was starting to panic a little when part of her plans wound up failing."

"Lucky for her she's good at working around those," Roman said with a smirk, "But we still have one final test to see if she really can pull this invasion off." Down below, Adam was alerted to the presence of the Grimm. "Damn dastard pulled it off," he said, "Looks like it's our turn. Our target is Beacon Academy. Bring them to their knees." Meanwhile, Cinder was taking advantage of the confusion to reach the dorm where Mercury and Emerald were being held.

 _'A clever move on Ironwood's part, but he never anticipated it would be the first place I would look.'_ She quickly dispatched the guards and opened the door, soon greeted by the only two people she could ever consider friends. "Gotta admit," Mercury said, "Even I was getting a little worried." "We'll have to modify our final plans," Cinder said, "But we can still achieve our major goals. I did have a grand speech prepared on the fragility of peace and a few other things in order to breed negativity, but not only have recent events rendered every last word moot, Tyrian's little stunt did the job nicely."

"Okay," Emerald said, "So what do we do? We're already in the academy, do we head straight for the vault?" Cinder shook her head. "No. First we'll wait until Adam's forces get here. Once the White Fang strikes, that will be Roman's cue to take control of the Atlesian mechs. Granted, given they only make up a quarter of the total security force, the people will chalk this up to mechanical failure, but it will still provide a good distraction. At the same time, that is when we'll raid the vault. We know for a fact that's where Ozpin is keeping the Fall Maiden, and may also be keeping the relic Salem desires. We've waited this long, a few more moments won't hurt us."

To be continued...

 **Yep, now it's on. The final chapters for the Volume 3 arc are almost ready. But as you've seen, the heroes are stronger, while the bad guys have had their strength diminished. By the way, for those who don't know, the White Fang members the group meets in the restaurant are named after certain members of Rooster Teeth, specifically nine of them had parts in the Rooser Teeth special "Ten Little Roosters" (go check that out, it's funny). The only exception is Kerry, named for Kerry Shawcross, co-director for RWBY and also the voice of Neptune. I chose him instead of Adam Ellis since, well, that would cause confusion in-universe due to Adam Taurus, who is obviously not there. It helps that in Ten Little Roosters, Adam apparently killed Kerry. As for why they left just because of a single lie, well would you keep fighting for a group of so-called revolutionaries if their integrity was in question? We'll see the consequences of this soon enough. Read and review.**


	34. Chapter 34: Battle Begins Anew

**Things are getting crazy now. We have a three-part finale for the Volume 3 arc. And people... This is where the culmination of all my work starts to pay off. At least, I hope so. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 34: Battle Begins Anew

It was a time of turmoil. The blatant murder of City Mayor Oren Thompson had just sent the people of Vale into a panic that drew the Grimm deeper into the city than ever before. The joint security was working overtime to evacuate citizens and hold back the tide. No easy task, since many of the Grimm attacking were ancient. The good news was it seemed to be locked in a stalemate, but no one could guess how long that would be. Up in the Amity Colosseum, Team RWBY watched as the man known as Tyrian escaped on a small personal craft.

"That wasn't a White Fang member," Blake noted, "At least, I don't remember him from my own time there." "We have bigger problems," Weiss said, "The Grimm seem to be converging on Beacon Academy." A sudden crash was heard, and the team turned to see a giant Nevermore had breached the security barrier of the Colosseum. "Uh...," Ruby muttered loudly, "You don't think this one is related to the one we killed, do you?" Before that question could be answered, several Rocket Lockers landed in the central arena, several knocking into the Nevermore, stunning it.

"Everyone!," Ironwood called out, "We need to get the citizens to safety! Quickly, grab your weapons and make for the loading docks!" He fired a few shots from his revolver, the Tin Chopper, taking out one of the Nevermore's eyes. The great beast cawed in agony before deciding to retreat, knowing it would not be as effective with only one eye. Meanwhile, all one-hundred and twenty-four students grabbed their weapons and hurried to the docks. Thankfully, the boarding seemed to be uneventful, though just to be safe each ship evacuating was accompanied by at least two students.

This proved to be a good thing, since down on the ground, several White Fang platoons were waiting for something while standing next to Bullheads loaded with Grimm. Already several Grimm were now dissolving corpses while the ground was littered with White Fang that proved unable to stand against the growing number of Huntsmen. Once the landing site was secure, Ironwood got back on one of the carriers. "I've just received a report that Roman Torchwick has been set loose on my ship," he explained to Ruby and her friends, "I need to get it back before he does something terrible with it. Meanwhile you and the others need to get to Beacon before it's overrun." And with that, he took off.

* * *

At the upper levels of the academy, Cinder frowned. Yes there was carnage, but the video feed she meant to project to the rest of the world had gone dark. "The CCT didn't go offline already, did it?," she asked. "Doesn't look like it," Mercury noted, "But come to think of it, I'm having a hard time accessing many of the virus's functions." Emerald, now concerned, asked Cinder, "Why broadcast this at all? I can understand you wanting people to fear you, but they can't do that if they're dead."

"I'm trying to garner enough fear to wake up something deep inside the mountain," Cinder explained, "Something that is vital to our plans." Just then she felt something shift inside her, and smiled. "Then again, you may have a point about broadcasting it all being overkill." A large roar could be heard deep within the mountain as something opened it's bright yellow eye. Cinder looked as the giant Dragon erupted from beneath the mountain. "It seems I have underestimated your hunger," she said aloud, "We may yet see victory today after all."

* * *

Roman, unlike Cinder, was starting to have second thoughts about his choices. He had his fun causing chaos with the stolen airship, but it was clear things were taking a turn for the worst when the virus Cinder swore would give him total control of the Atlesian military failed to do it's job. "Can't control the other airships, no sign the robotic soldiers are responding," Roman rambled on as he shook his head. "Looks like Cinder flopped," Neopolitan replied, admittedly disappointed, "Too bad, I've always wanted control of my own military."

Roman then spotted something approaching the ship. "We'll have to put that dream on the back burner for now. I think it's about time we put that escape plan into action." They got ready to depart, only to have the entire ship jolt when Ironwood used the docking override to board. "And quickly," Roman noted, "It seems a certain general is mad at us absconding with his ship. And since we couldn't take control of those automatons, it's clear he's got plenty of backup." The two hurried out of the bridge just as Ironwood kicked in the door. He narrowed his eyes as he spotted the two thieves fleeing.

* * *

From his office, Ozpin watched as the battle for the kingdom raged. Somehow, he knew he couldn't prevent it no matter what, certainly not with only a decade worth of planning. Still, his actions together with Councilman Gray appeared to have done a great deal to alleviate the worst of it. Reports streaming in from the security team showed the White Fang to be far more disorganized, moving like lemmings towards the academy since they were not receiving operational instructions, if the first group captured was anything to go by. By coincidence, ten Faunus had approached the police early that morning with information regarding the White Fang's plans.

While some of the flying Grimm had attacked the Colosseum, the more ground-based ones were either being slaughtered or herded to the academy, as if drawn by something. Still, a very familiar roar told Ozpin that this was only beginning. He couldn't call this a victory until he was certain the students would be safe, and the kingdoms not under threat of war. He grabbed his cane, the Chrono Illusion, and hurried to where the students were already moving to retake the school.

* * *

Adam could certainly understand why some would call him a sadist. He always felt justified in his actions, but one must keep perspective in mind. That said, he would never tolerate anyone calling him sociopathic. He truly cared for those in his brotherhood, and felt deeply wounded when someone tried to betray him. And right now, it felt as though he was getting betrayed left and right. After the docks and the tunnel, he only had ten lieutenants left, but it was clear they weren't doing their job. With a few exceptions, all of the White Fang's squadrons were now converging on Beacon Academy.

With all the Grimm being drawn there, the hatred he had instilled in his followers towards Humans was threatening to backfire and cause even more casualties. Sienna Khan, the current Grandmaster of the White Fang, had given Adam leadership of the Vale branch due to his tactical expertise and charisma. But it was becoming clear to the bull Faunus that by the time this was over, that role would soon be stripped from him one way or another. As he contemplated this, a sudden shot rang out, catching him off-guard as it shattered his mask. He looked in the direction of the shot, which seemed to come from the rafters of the giant atrium he was in.

What he saw surprised him. Standing up there was Blake Belladonna, the very girl he had come here for, but a look he never thought he would see on her face. Standing with her were several more Faunus from the various teams that had taken part in the tournament. "Adam," Blake announced, "You have crossed a line Sienna would never cross in her most fanatical moments. This is no justice, no protection for our people. This is just plain terrorism. And since you haven't learned from our last meeting, I am forced to teach you the hard way." And with that, she and her fellow Faunus students leapt down to fight the White Fang.

* * *

Team JNPR had just finished taking out another Goliath. The giant elephant Grimm were not easy to beat, but far from impossible, especially when proper teamwork was applied. Jaune then spotted Ozpin running up to them. "I'm afraid we've run out of time," he said, "Whether Pyrrha has made her decision or not, protection of Amber is paramount until this blows over. Follow me to the vault, and keep an eye out for anyone trying to follow us." As they moved, Cinder spied them from nearby. She knew where the vault was from the blueprints she snagged via the virus, which was lucky, because any attempts to follow were going to be thwarted.

The real issue here was Ozpin exact wording. _'Why wouldn't Pyrrha want to gain that power? Granted she's an innocent soul, but the thought of being better able to protect others should appeal to her nature. Looks like I'll need to accelerate my plans.'_ Her thoughts turned back to when Salem first warned her of deviations from their predictions. She vaguely described it as being like someone had turned back time and changed things. With how varied Semblances tended to be, one for time travel seemed feasible, if unlikely. But either way, it was clear Cinder would have to play this by ear from now on, as her original plan had just been rendered impossible. She quickly moved to where the vault was supposed to be.

To be continued...

 **And with that we have the end of the first part. I tried to portray the battle as still being brutal, with the city overrun and forces spread out trying to deal with them, while still making it clear that the good guys have a chance to change their original fate. Next chapter I'll try to focus more on individuals across the battlefield in addition to the main events. Read and review.**


	35. Chapter 35: Heroes to the Challenge

**I've heard people criticizing my choice to name every weapon I can. Fair enough. But calling the names I choose STUPID? I'm trying to go for symbolism here, is there anything wrong with that? Granted I think I'll stop naming all the weapons due to the difficulty in naming so many in this setting, but don't go dissing the names I spent so much time coming up with in the first place. And back to your regularly scheduled fix fic. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 35: Heroes to the Challenge

Across Vale the battle raged, Huntsmen and soldiers alike fighting to turn the tide. The majority of civilians had already been successfully evacuated. Those that weren't were either too scared or too stubborn to leave their homes, and they unfortunately paid the price. Out near the docks, Winter and the Branwen siblings were fighting off a pack of Beowolves, while several Knights were seen destroying the strange Creeper Grimm. "Reminds me of our first meeting," Qrow said to Winter. "I hope you aren't expecting a repeat of the aftermath," Winter replied playfully.

Qrow chuckled as he unfurled his weapon to his full scythe form. "No, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping for it, either." Raven just rolled her eyes as she cut down the alpha Beowolf. In the skies they could see the various airship fleets shooting down many Nevermores and Griffons. "Well," Qrow noted, "If Ironwood's robots haven't turned on us by now, I'd say Leo's done his part. But this is just the beginning." The sudden roaring heard in the distance made it clear what it meant. Qrow sighed. "Looks like for all we've been able to keep from happening, some of their plans are still being realized."

* * *

In the courtyard of Beacon, a fresh squad of White Fang came up to the school, several of them piloting stolen Paladins. One of them, a young deer girl named Dahlia, noted most of their enemies were other Faunus. In fact, she could see their leader Adam fighting against a girl a few years older than her who matched the description of Blake, a deserter of the group. Dahlia was a little confused by the whole ordeal. They were supposed to be in this for the betterment of Faunus, and yet here they had Faunus Huntsmen as their enemies.

To make matters worse, she soon realized she was the only one hesitating to advance. Seeing the incoming Paladins, Velvet turned to them and activated her weapon. A panel on the side opened and projected a beam into her outstretched arm, soon forming into a blue hard-light version of Crescent Rose. Sydney, who was nearby, looked impressed. "So that's what her weapon does." He quickly activated his own Semblance, leaping at the nearest Paladin to strike it.

Velvet used her weapon's ability, coupled with her Semblance which let her copy the physical capabilities of anyone she had met, to trash another Paladin. The entire scene left a bitter taste in Dahlia's mouth. _'This isn't right. We should be here to fight Humans. They're supposed to be the enemy. But here we are working with a Human criminal, and they have Faunus fighting with them as Huntsmen.'_ In her confusion, she didn't see the Griffon swoop in an attempt to destroy the Human machinery.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Roman and Neopolitan hurried to the docks of the airship, the heard a shot ring out, causing them to stop and turn around. "Going somewhere, Torchwick?," Ironwood asked rhetorically as he aimed his revolver at the pair. "You got here faster than I thought," Roman admitted, "Then again, considering you had no distractions to deal with." Neopolitan rushed in and gave several swings with her umbrella. Ironwood dodged the first few before blocking with right arm.

"You can cut the illusions out now, young lady," the general said with a rare smirk, "Even if I hadn't learned of your abilities, my arm can literally take any sort of damage." He rolled up his sleeve to reveal it was cybernetic. He then pulled said arm back so quickly it took Neopolitan by surprise and broke her concentration and her illusion. Ironwood quickly followed up with several rapid-fire strikes from his weapon's hatchet mode before firing off a final shot that knocked the young woman out and broke her Aura.

"Damn you!," Roman said, "Are you always so callous with criminals? We're still Human in the end!" "Then why take this lifestyle?," Ironwood shot back, "I've read up on your file. Your cynical outlook. Your belief in acting out of self-preservation. Your dismissal of the heroes that dot our history. Let me tell you something Roman Torchwick. Your so-called 'real world' doesn't exist in this society. With the Grimm being drawn to such negative thoughts, the only real reason you've survived this long is because you operate in the heart of the city, well protected by the kingdom's walls."

Now truly angered, Roman swung his cane at Ironwood, who easily blocked it with his hatchet. "Lonely, isolated, you deliberately push away those who would offer you kindness. Your only true ally shares the same world-view, meaning she's also just as prone to death. If anyone is naive in this world, it's not our students... It's you." Ironwood then pushed back Roman, swapped his hatchet to his left hand, and used his right hand to punch the conman in the jaw, knocking him out. "And another thing," Ironwood said, "You clearly haven't been reading the legends right. Most heroes documented only die after decades of defending Remnant."

* * *

Dahlia slowly opened her eyes, amazed that she was still alive after she heard her Paladin get ripped to shreds. She looked to see what had happened. As it turned out, Yang had been nearby and seen the Griffon attack. So had Sydney, Velvet, and Rigel. Between the three of them, the Griffon had been destroyed and Dahlia saved from the wreckage. Now the deer Faunus was really confused as she scrambled out of Yang's arms. "You okay?," Yang asked, sincerely concerned. Dahlia, a little apprehensive, asked, "Why... Why did you save me?"

Yang chuckled, clearly amused at the naivety of the question. "You were in trouble, of course. It's a Huntresses job to save people, especially from Grimm." "But," Dahlia argued, "I'm a Faunus. I'm a White Fang." "So?," Yang shrugged, "Blake's a Faunus, and she used to be in the White Fang. But she's still my partner. It's true that a lot of people are prejudiced against you and your people, but that doesn't mean everyone hates you." She placed her right hand on Dahlia's shoulder in reassurance. Dahlia, in turn, took off her mask and looked sad.

Meanwhile, Blake and Adam were clashing. Blake had managed to get several hits on Adam, who in turn kept getting stymied by Blake's Semblance, which kept her from serious injury. "I trained you," he argued, "I taught you to survive, to fight." "And for what?," Blake retorted, "To kill, to steal, to hurt a race that feared us more with every attack, which only compounded the problem rather than solve it. You call me coward, but I called my father the same thing when he stepped down as leader. No, Adam, the real coward here... Is you!"

Blake gave a might slash that sent Adam flying across the field. He picked himself up, using his sword Wilt to steady himself. Then he spotted Yang with one of his soldiers. "If I can't hurt you," he muttered, "Than I can certainly hurt those around you." Taking the energy he managed to absorb from Blake's attacks, he conjured his Semblance and launched a vertical shockwave. The attack moved so fast neither Yang nor Dahlia saw it coming. Unfortunately, Yang sure as hell felt the aftereffect, her scream of pain echoing across the courtyard.

As he saw the blonde Huntress clutch what was left of her arm, Adam grinned. "There, Blake! Do you see that?" He got his answer when he felt the jab right through his own right arm, followed by his right leg. Screaming out himself, he soon saw Blake standing before him, the barrel of Gambol Shroud pointed at his forehead. Growling, he muttered, "So you still intend to betray me?" "You don't get it, do you?," Blake retorted, "You're the one who betrayed me." She moved the barrel to Adam's shoulder and pulled the trigger, the pain from the shot causing the bull Faunus to collapse.

Blake then hurried over to Yang, still clutching what was left of her arm. Thankfully, it was more than one would have expected, the cut having hit between her hand and just before her elbow. "Are you okay?," Dahlia was asking, deeply concerned. Also very angry, since her own leader had just made an attack with no concern for her own safety. "I'll be fine," Yang said, "More or less. I mean, it looks a lot worse than it feels. After the initial shock, whatever hit me seems to have burned out the nerves." Blake helped Yang to stand, Yang's left arm draped over Blake's shoulder. "Come on, we need to get you two to safety."

* * *

As Team JNPR and Ozpin headed for the vault, Ozpin listened in on the reports coming in through his scroll, and breath a sigh of relief at how promising they were. 'This is Ironwood. Roman has been recaptured, and we also have his accomplice.' 'Blake here. The White Fang has been neutralized, and we need a pick-up for Adam Taurus. Yang got a severe injury, but is still conscious. I'm taking her to a med center.' 'Leonidas. The citizens have been evacuated. Most if not all the Grimm have been cleared, but there's still more and they're heading for the CCT Tower.'

'Qrow here. Looks like we have a Dragon coming in, likely from Mountain Glenn.' 'Not to worry,' came Penny's cheerful voice, 'This is what I trained for. I'll have that Dragon dealt with.' "Be careful Miss Polendina," Ozpin replied, "Ancient texts regarding the Dragon indicate it can spawn lesser Grimm." 'Thank you for the warning Professor,' Penny noted, 'I'll be sure to bring back-up before confronting it.' Again, Ozpin couldn't help but sigh in relief. "We may just make it through this." He hit the button on the elevator, but Jaune noticed something off.

"Professor," he said, "It looks like the elevator is coming up, and we're on the ground floor." The five of them looked at each other and readied their weapons. Once inside the elevator, Ozpin held his scroll to the scanner, which opened a hidden option for the basement, which is were the vault was kept. Once the doors opened again, a terrible sight awaited them. Cinder was standing there, back to them, crimson energy surrounding her. Just in front of her was the pod containing Amber, and Pyrrha gasped as there was an arrow sticking out of it, which had apparently struck Amber's heart.

Once the energy around Cinder subsided, she turned to look at the group. "Sorry, Ozpin, but you're a little too late." Narrowing his eyes, Ozpin stepped out of the elevator. "Jaune, take your team and head for the Tower. Inform the others of what happened. I'll do what I can here." "Be careful," Jaune said as he hit the button for the ground floor. Cinder simply scoffed. "Just as arrogant as she said you'd be." Ozpin simply adjusted his glasses as he pointed his cane at her. "Once again, Miss Fall, you make far too many assumptions."

To be continued...

 **It's almost time. The next chapter will end the Volume 3 arc. Can you feel it? Can you taste it!? CAN YOU DIG IT!? And now I just wasted time looking up The Warriors. Eh. But seriously, things are gonna come to a head next chapter. Read and review.**


	36. Chapter 36: Something of an End

**Well, it's all down to this. This is final chapter for this arc. And let me tell you, I am looking forward to this. I won't say anything else, I'll just let the chapter speak for itself. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Devil May Cry.**

Chapter 36: Something of an End

Ruby and Team CRDL had just reached the makeshift command center being used during the battle, where she found Weiss and Winter. "There you are Ruby," Weiss said, "Things have been getting crazy. Yang just got transported to the med bay due to a critical injury." Ruby, concerned for her sister, asked, "Is she going to be okay?" "She'll be fine," Weiss reassured her partner, "The med staff says it's not life-threatening. But we have bigger things to worry about. I trust you got the alert from Team JNPR." Ruby nodded sadly. "Yeah, we just took our biggest casualty. Poor Amber."

"Penny gathered a group of soldiers and Huntsmen and went to fight that Dragon that showed up," Weiss explained, "And Team JNPR is going to join them." "We'd better go too," Ruby noted, "The more people we have fighting, the better." As Ruby raced off with her Semblance, Weiss turned to look at her sister, who nodded. "Please be careful," Winter said, "Every new injury we get only hurts our chances of survival." Weiss nodded, before hugging her sister and then heading off after Ruby, Team FNKI right behind her.

* * *

Cinder panted as she reached the floor she had hit randomly, which turned out to be Ozpin's office. She knew an academy headmaster would be no pushover, but Ozpin fought like he knew how to handle her. _'Chalk up one more note on the list of things that could go wrong today.'_ She then noticed the Dragon, who locked eyes with her. "I see. Yes, you know your duty. Go, there is nothing that can stop you." Unfortunately, Cinder was quickly proven wrong when a massive laser appeared from the ground and forced the beast to back away from it as it hit, causing visible pain.

Cinder looked in shock. "Where did they get such a weapon?" She looked in the direction the laser had been fired, and spotted Penny moving after the Dragon, several others moving to clear away the lesser Grimm the Dragon summoned. Angered, Cinder used her new powers to fly to the Tower. The Dragon would be panicking because of the pain and confusion, and needed to be redirected to its goal. As she made her way, she spotted several more figures making their way to the Tower, and was reminded of what Salem had warned her of.

 _'Even with my newfound power, there are too many here to fight. I could probably take out three or four before getting overwhelmed. I'd better even the odds.'_ She mentally contacted the Dragon to spawn as many Grimm as it could while approaching the Tower. Hopefully it would distract the majority of her enemies. She then contacted Emerald. "Where are you right now?" 'Heading for the Tower with Mercury,' the thief replied, 'It's getting crazy out here, we've been hounded the whole way. I'm starting to have second thoughts about this plan.'

Cinder then thought about the two of them. In all her life, Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black were probably the closest things to friends she had ever had. And right now, this was a situation where they were in great danger. Had things been going more in line with her original plan she would send them to fight someone to keep them busy. But she couldn't risk that here. "Forget the Tower, I have it covered. You two must leave the city. Head for our safe house in Mistral. If I'm not there within a day... Assume the worst." She then cut communication.

* * *

Cinder's plan to distract anyone trying to follow her worked pretty well. Most of the group assembling at the Tower were working harder to stem the tide, helped greatly by a reinforcement of Vacuo siege weapons. Only Jaune and Pyrrha were left to follow Cinder, and Pyrrha was nervous. "I still can't believe we're doing this." "We'll be fine," Jaune said, "Ozpin was able to force her to retreat, so she can't be as tough as she thinks." He smiled at his lover. "Put it this way, would we even be in this situation if the Maidens were invincible?"

The realization of Jaune's words brought great relief to the red-headed warrior. She giggled. "That's kind of a simple way of thinking, isn't it?" Jaune shrugged. "Maybe. But sometimes victory is in a simple soul." The two shared a passionate kiss before they headed up to confront their enemy. Cinder was found in an observation room, the battle between Penny and the Dragon visible outside. Cinder noted the two warriors and frowned. "I was expecting only one opponent. And I especially didn't want to confront you, Jaune Arc. Even my power would prove useless against your Semblance."

Jaune brandished Roseus Ignis. "You should have thought about that before instigating this invasion." "Why do you even need that Maiden's power?," Pyrrha asked, "It is meant to be used to help and guide people, but I sincerely doubt you plan on doing anything of the sort." Cinder smirked. "Perceptive, aren't you? I could talk at length about my past, but it would only serve to make you hate me. And while I am more interested in being feared than loved, being hated is something I cannot tolerate."

She then got out her bow and fired off a few shots, which were blocked by her two opponents. She then switched to her blade mode and clashed with Milo and Roseus Ignis. However, while Pyrrha was currently blade-locked with Cinder, Jaune still had a free hand, and opened fire with Azure Fang, knocking Cinder back as she barely missed getting struck by the two swords. Meanwhile, Ruby had managed to break away from the fighting to head up the Tower, hoping her friends were doing alright.

The two were doing all right, to the point where Cinder tried a desperate attack using the full force of her new Maiden powers. Jaune simply got between the attack and Pyrrha and unlocked Grimmlock, his wild Semblance successfully pushing back the assault. Unfortunately, Cinder had observed Jaune's Semblance during the fight with Penny and noted a key weakness. He needed to be standing still while it was active, and while it could indefinitely hold back an attack, once it was dissipated it took a while to recover.

Cinder took advantage of this and flanked Jaune to fire another shot. However, Pyrrha manged to push Jaune out of the way. While this did put her in the line of fire, Pyrrha lucked out since the arrow was aimed for Jaune's legs. That still meant Pyrrha took a shot right in her heel. Now down on one knee, Pyrrha looked as Cinder prepped another arrow. "Looks like your destiny didn't pan out," Cinder quipped. Pyrrha just smirked. "Actually, I stopped believing in destiny months ago."

As the arrow let loose, Jaune stepped back in and unleashed his Semblance, the hemisphere of Aura keeping the arrow at bay. Cinder's powers kept the bolt from being deflected back at her, but Jaune's Semblance kept it from reaching its target, a perfect deadlock. Cinder decided to break it by launching a fire shot to break the arrow, then using her weapons properties to reform the arrow right in front of Pyrrha. It almost worked, but she had forgotten to take Jaune's danger sense into account. Right when the fire blast hit the bolt, Jaune instinctively dropped his barrier and swung around with his sword, shattering the bolt again. Cinder growled, since she could only reform each bolt once.

Jaune then charged at Cinder, who started to panic and fired off wildly in an effort to divert his charge. As this was happening, Ruby finally reached the room where the battle was taking place. She saw that the Dragon was still being fended off by Penny, and saw Pyrrha kneeling on the ground, an arrow sticking out of her heel. As Ruby went to help she saw a stray bolt strike the nearby ceiling, blasting a hole in it. One of the chunks fell near Pyrrha, causing her to put up her guard. Her shield and Aura were enough to absorb most of the impact, but it still knocked her unconscious.

From Ruby's perspective, however, she saw a dear friend go down and stop moving. Enraged, Ruby let out on ear piercing scream. It was then that something happened that surprised both Jaune and Cinder. Ruby's silver eyes seemed to glow bright, and from Jaune's perspective they seemed to grow wings for some reason. The resulting light enveloped both Cinder, and eventually the Dragon. When Jaune finally was able to open his eyes again, he saw Ruby collapse from the exhaustion of whatever she did.

He then saw the Dragon Grimm had been completely petrified for whatever reason. And finally, he saw Cinder had gotten the worst of it. She seemed to have severe burns on the left side of her face and going down her body, and her left eye was closed with blood seeping out of it. "I'm not sure what just happened," Jaune noted, "But perhaps this is karma for stealing the Fall Maiden power." His instincts told him both Ruby and Pyrrha were still in danger, and if Pyrrha was in danger that meant she was still alive, albeit out cold.

He stuck Roseus Ignis into the floor, then threw off his jacket. Cinder's eyes widened when she saw what was strapped to his back. "Crocea... Mors...," she choked out, barely able to form the words. "So you know of my family's heritage," Jaune said, "At first I was only using this as a decoration in my team's dorm, but I brought it with me during the tournament for good luck. However, I do know full well how to wield it." He grasped the hilt of the sword, causing the straps holding it in place to undo themselves. He then picked up Roseus Ignis.

Holding the steel sword blade up in front of his face, and the mechanical sword blade down just under it, he flipped the switch on Grimmlock to regain control of his Semblance. Focusing to the point where he started growling, Cinder watched in horror as his Semblance enveloped his entire upper body, manifesting as an armored warrior. As Jaune revved up Roseus Ignis, Crocea Mors began to glow in response to its master's Semblance. On that day, a legend would be born anew.

It should be noted that, for all his warrior nature, Jaune was a man who disliked killing. Sure, by now he had killed Grimm by the hundreds, but those were monsters. Killing another human was something he never thought he would be forced to do. But Cinder had become too big a threat, and crossed one-too many lines. Shifting his twin swords to a horizontal orientation, Jaune gave a final battle cry as he rushed at Cinder. Once he got close enough, he crossed his blades right as he passed the dark maiden. As Ruby came to, she saw a grizzly sight.

Cinder's body stayed standing for a while, but the sight of her head several inches off its neck was a clear indicator of what just happened. Finally, what was left of the poor woman fell backwards, her head, eyes still wide with shock, landing not far from it. From Cinder's body, the same energy radiated out from her, the manifestation of the Fall Maiden's power. It soon found its new host in Pyrrha, and as the energy permeated her, the resulting surge of power woke the young warrior up. As Pyrrha shook her head to recover from the rush, she found herself hugged by Ruby. "You're okay!," Ruby cried out, relieved, "You're okay, you're okay, you're okay!" Pyrrha smiled at Ruby, and gave her a reassuring pat on the head.

"Yes, Ruby, I'm fine. I just got knocked out, that's all." Down below, Penny had been wondering what happened to the Dragon. It was still alive, but now inert. Realizing it was still drawing Grimm toward it, Penny decided to stop worrying about what caused this and fired her massive laser at the Grimm's head, finally destroying it. As the Dragon began to dissolve, the resulting cheers from the people seeing it die made the remaining Grimm realize the battle was lost, and they quickly retreated, the stragglers getting picked off by the military and Hunstmen. On that day, the Battle of Beacon had been won by the heroes of the four kingdoms.

* * *

In the aftermath of the battle, Ruby was processing what her uncle Qrow knew of what had happened to the Dragon, and what caused Cinder to become disabled to the point that Jaune was able to defeat her. Apparently, it was all thanks to Ruby. Qrow had spoken at length about Ruby's silver eyes, which her mother also had. It was connected to a legend that spoke of a time long before the kingdoms were formed and the Hunstmen prevalent. The silver-eyed warriors of those legends were said to be born warriors, so powerful even the Grimm feared them. It was believed they were so strong, one look from them could kill a Grimm instantly.

Now Ruby had even more questions about what happened to her mother during that fateful mission, but for right now she needed to see her sister. On the way, she ran into Penny. "Hey Penny, great job dealing with that giant Grimm," she said. "Thank you," Penny replied, "We've been taking a tally of the damage. We lost some soldiers, and more than a few Knights were wrecked, but none of the students got more than a few scraps and bruises-HIC!" Ruby raised an eyebrow, causing Penny to sigh. "Okay, so Yang got a severe injury. It doesn't seem to be bothering her, though. If anything, she's as cheerful as ever. She's already gotten multiple visits from Qrow, Blake, and Rigel."

Ruby nodded, then headed for Yang's room herself. "Hey sis, you doing okay?" Yang turned to look at Ruby, then shifted around, causing Ruby to see Yang's severed arm. "Honestly, I could be worse right now." "Yeah," Ruby said, a little stunned, "You could be Cinder." Yang looked confused before realization struck. "Oh yeah, I heard about that. I never thought Jaune would get pushed that far. That reminds me, how's Pyrrha doing?" "She's resting right now," Ruby said, "She took a bad hit to her heel. All she needed for it was some healing Dust, but she still needs to keep off it overnight. Jaune's looking after her. He's a little upset by what he had to do."

"Well it was either that or let Cinder run wild with her stolen powers," Yang noted. Ruby sat down next to Yang's bed. "So, is this the worst of it?" "Kinda," Yang said, "I'm told a few soldiers lost their lives, but all in all our casualties were minimal. Meanwhile for the bad guys... Roman and Neo got arrested, most of the White Fang are either dead or arrested, save one young girl I saved during the struggle. Funny, she said she was never actually bullied for being a Faunus, she was just told by others in the small village where she grew up that Humans were the enemy. She's regretting listening to them."

That got both sisters silent for a second before Yang continued. "Anyway, Adam's in custody as well. We have Blake to thank for that one. You should have seen her, she looked so cool as she delivered that last line before knocking Adam out." "Aw man," Ruby said, disappointed, "I was busy escorting a family to the bunkers. Oh well, we all make sacrifices for the greater good. Where is she now?" "Right here," came Blake's voice from behind the sisters. Ruby turned around to see Blake and Weiss standing there. "And I gotta say, I really feel like a burden has been lifted from my shoulders."

"Yeah," Ruby agreed, "I'd imagine forcefully booting your ex out of your life will do that. You doing okay Weiss?" "Yes, thankfully," Weiss replied, "Father was reluctant, but I was able to convince him that it was perfectly safe for me to remain here in Vale. With some help from a certain someone." Yang shook her head. "How does Leo do it?" Weiss grinned. "It turns out Leonidas' Semblance has a unique ability. By focusing on a person's eyes, he can force them to experience all the pain they've ever inflicted on someone else, either directly or indirectly. It's a power even Father fears, and he fears very little."

"I've seen it in action," Blake noted, "Just five seconds of using it on Adam and the man was screaming. I stopped hating him and began to pity him instead. He used to be such a great guy, until he got blinded by his twisted view of justice." "That reminds me," Weiss interjected, hoping to change the subject, "Yang, I spoke with Winter earlier. Ironwood is having a cybernetic arm built for you in thanks for your part in this battle." "Great," Yang said, smiling, "It's kinda hard to fight with only one arm, and a little awkward to only use half of Ember Celica." The girls got a good laugh out of that, a wave of relief washing over them.

* * *

Pyrrha woke to see Jaune sitting near her bed. "Hey," she said softly, causing him to smile. "Good to see you're all right. I was worried there for a moment." "You certainly seemed desperate to keep me alive no matter what," Pyrrha noted as she sat up in her bed. Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "It's just, long before I first met you, I kinda had these nightmares. I would see you getting killed, by the same woman we fought not a few hours ago." Pyrrha turned sad. "So... Cinder really is..."

"Not something I enjoyed," Jaune said, closing his eyes sadly, "But I did what I had to do. Not just for your sake, but all of Remnant." Pyrrha reassured her lover by placing her hand on his knee. "It's for the best. I wouldn't have wanted to kill her either, but some things just need to be done. Besides..." She conjured a small tornado in her palm, showing her new powers. "Looks like becoming the Fall Maiden is my destiny after all. Oh, that reminds me. Do you remember how The Story of the Seasons ends?" Jaune nodded. "Sure. The four sisters agree to visit the old hermit once a year... Oh..."

Pyrrha nodded. "That applies to every Maiden, as a sign that they have not forgotten where their powers come from." She closed her eyes. "I feel a connection to them. Bits of memory from every Fall Maiden before me. Cinder's life... While it does not excuse her actions, it does put them into perspective. As for Amber, she had been traveling back from the place where the hermit lived when she was ambushed. What had happened to her... She was in so much pain..." Jaune joined Pyrrha on her bed and gave her a reassuring hug, which Pyrrha returned as the two simply stayed in each others arms.

* * *

The next day, Ozpin looked out from Beacon Academy. It was already undergoing repairs, but it wouldn't be long before classes could start again. Qrow had disappeared after spending some time with Winter Schnee, leaving her an apology note like always. Winter admitted it was these heartfelt notes that made her believe what she and Qrow had meant something to him, and Ozpin was willing to agree. Mercury and Emerald had disappeared, likely at Cinder's behest. Cinder's body had disappeared, though considering Tyrian's whereabouts had been unaccounted for during the battle Ozpin had a good theory about what happened to it.

The White Fang's Vale branch was all but disbanded. It would likely rise again, it's purpose was still valid after all, but without Adam it had the opportunity to redeem itself. While some of the students suffered injuries, several of them debilitating such as Yang's severed arm and Pyrrha's heel, there was no permanent damage and they would recover in time. The Dragon was destroyed, rendered inert by Ruby awakening to her power with Penny finishing it off. Both Roman and Neo were captured and being transported to Atlas to stand trial for their part in the attack. _'It's impossible to predict the long-term consequences of these events,'_ Ozpin thought to himself, _'But the short-term consequences are obvious... We've won this battle.'_

* * *

In her hidden citadel, Salem shed a single black tear as she stood over the clear coffin of Cinder Fall. There was so much regret she had, so many things she could have done differently. She should have had the plan canceled, but she had been so sure she could get some form of victory from the entire thing. But instead, it had all gone wrong. The CCT was still active, and the kingdoms still trusted each other, more or less. There was now little chance they could get the White Fang's Grandmaster to side with them, and their agent in that group was lost to them.

Their criminal connections had dried up entirely, and the mighty Dragon meant to cause fear throughout Vale had been destroyed. Beacon still stood strong, so the relic she sought from it was further than ever from her grasp. Worst of all, Cinder was now dead. This meant the Fall Maiden power had gone to another and they had no way of tracking it, but more importantly, Salem had lost someone she saw like a daughter. The only bright side to all this was that she still had Emerald and Mercury, but they would not be returning directly for fear of being tracked.

"I saw the signs," she muttered, "But foolishly thought they meant nothing. This time, I was the arrogant one, and paid the price for it." Her three remaining followers, Watts, Tyrian, and Hazel, stood behind her. Hazel spoke first. "Perhaps it would be wise to put our plans for Haven on hold. At least until we can reevaluate our forces." Salem nodded. "Please leave. I wish to be alone for this. We will reconvene after I have finished mourning." The three men bowed before leaving. Salem gazed up to the ceiling. "You win this round, Nathan Ozpin. But I will not stop here."

To be continued...

 **Yes people... I SAVED PYRRHA NIKOS! You all knew it was coming. You all anticipated it. You probably weren't sure, but there it is. She's alive, Cinder's dead. All the drama, none of the trauma. This means a brand new Volume 4 arc starting next chapter. And here's where things get crazy. Now, officially this isn't a crossover, and I don't plan on changing that. But that's only because there are far too many things crossing over into RWBY. I'll be expanding on the world of Remnant as well, introducing a few original ideas based on the overall mythos. Look forward to it. Read and review.**


	37. Chapter 37: A New Year

**A new future is dawning, one of my own creation. You will be seeing some shades of canon Volume 4, but with entirely new events and new mythos. The world of Remnant is vast and Rooster Teeth can't cover all of it. Plus, there's gonna be far more inclusions, starting from right now. For the record, the two main teams are going to donning the Volume 4 clothes. Pyrrha will be having a new look, with a fully body stocking under her armor and a crimson hood, and yes it was given to her by Ruby. Jaune will be switching to a longer dark blue coat, and will finally have his familiar makeshift armor underneath said coat. Yang has her normal attire, though now with her hair tied back in a ponytail, and of course her new cybernetic arm. Disclaimer: I don't RWBY, Devil May Cry, Sailor Moon, Kid Icarus, or Future Card Buddyfight.**

Chapter 37: A New Year

Untold eons ago, on a planet on the outskirts of the galaxy, a planet known as Earth, it's one natural satellite was undergoing turmoil. A force of evil beyond anything anyone had ever known had attacked and decimated what had once been a prosperous kingdom. To give the people of the kingdom a chance, its queen used a magical scepter, powered by a crystal said to contain unlimited energy, in an effort to send the souls of her subjects to Earth, where they would be reincarnated in the future. But the queen lacked the strength to fully aim at Earth, and accidentally shot the spell into the depths of space.

Fortunately, the spell was intercepted on Remnant, where two brothers who controlled the powers of creation and destruction were quarreling. Their fight ended when the spell landed between them. One look at it and they realized what it implied. Putting their differences aside, they used the template from the spell to create a new species, one that had the right to choose their path. This single species would eventually divide into the Humans and Faunus. As for the evil that would eventually emerge, the brother who controlled destruction crafted a powerful substance that could destroy its forces, knowing full well that it could also destroy the Grimm he had crafted.

Ages passed. The Humans learned quickly how to manipulate the Dust to fight back against the Grimm. Civilization began to sprout. Legends rose and scattered. And after many trials and tribulations, the Battle of Beacon had finished in favor of humanity. Heroes were made that day, new legends forged, and a great evil destroyed. Wounds healed in time, and soon, a new year started at Beacon Academy, newly repaired just in time to receive new students. The initiation has just completed, and eager young students are ready to form their new teams.

* * *

Blake stood on an upper balcony overlooking the amphitheater were the new teams for the year were being formed. After the Battle of Beacon, her past as a deserter from the White Fang became public knowledge. No one held it against her, especially since she was instrumental in capturing Adam Taurus. As a result, she had long discarded her bow, revealing her Faunus nature to the world. "Hey," came Yang's voice as she came behind her friend and partner, "I see you got back from your first solo mission."

Blake smiled. "Yeah, just in time for the team selection. This year Ozpin went with playing cards. The four students who select a single rank get teamed up together. They're just getting to the last team." As she spoke, Ozpin addressed the four students. "Albus Ikaros, Darien Shields, Nayru Fulgur, Serena Tsukino. You four collected the ace rank of cards, and shall henceforth be known as Team SAND, led by Serena Tsukino." With the final team assembled, Ozpin addressed all the chosen teams for the year. "Your induction into this academy comes on the heels of heroes of the Battle of Beacon. And while I pray you never have to face as great a threat, I also know you will prove to be just as capable as they are."

As the two girls went to reunite with their remaining teammates, they got to talking "So," Blake said, "How's the new arm treating you?" Yang looked at her cybernetics, which unlike Ironwood she was not afraid to show off. There had been complications during the replacement process. The spot where Yang's arm had been severed wound up infected to the point even more of her arm needed to be cut off, her entire elbow specifically. Beyond that the process was smooth, her new arm calibrated to react to her Semblance. It even had one of her bracelets for Ember Celica grafted onto it, ensuring she would never be caught without a weapon.

Yang smiled as she moved the metallic limb as easily as her own flesh. "It took some getting used to, but now it feels like a part of me. Almost like I never lost it. Except, you know, it's not actually flesh. So, next we have that mission to Menagerie. It must be nice to return home after being gone so long." "Yeah," Blake admitted, "First thing I plan on doing is checking in with my folks. Being so far from the Towers, Menagerie can only get local communication, so I haven't been able to keep in touch with Mom and Dad." Yang looked concerned. "Think they'll be okay with a trio of Humans visiting? Especially considering Weiss."

It was actually because of Weiss' family that this mission was happening. Jacques Schnee had reached out to the leaders of the White Fang, hoping to avoid an escalation after the arrest of Adam. Sienna Khan, though willing to talk, wanted a sign of sincerity from the Schnee Family patriarch. The request was a simple one, recognition of Menagerie as its own kingdom. It would take a lot of money and negotiation, but Jacques had lost too many family members to the White Fang to say no. The first step of this was assessing the situation in Menagerie to see what needed to be done, hence Team RWBY's mission.

The reason for selecting them was two-fold. Not only did it mean Weiss could act as a representative of her family, but it was Blake's hometown which meant she knew it better than most. The partners soon reached their dorm, where Weiss and Ruby were finishing their packing. They were expecting to stay in Menagerie at least a month, if not longer. "Hey," Ruby said, "Sorry we missed the teams. How did they look?" "Promising," Blake admitted. "I hope so," Weiss noted, "As important a mission as this is, there still needs to be strong Huntsmen in Vale to hold the fort."

"I should warn you," Blake said, "There is White Fang presence in Menagerie." The other girls looked at each before Ruby spoke up. "Shouldn't that be obvious? We're talking an entire continent where Faunus live." "There's more to it," Blake said, shaking her head, "The whole Grimm mask thing was unique to the Vale branch, so it won't be immediately obvious when you first lay eyes on a member. And they may not take kindly to Humans' perceived interference."

"Yeah, and we'll be having our weapons at all times," Yang said, "They may mistake us for attackers. Well, hopefully we can diffuse any situation quickly." She then spotted something odd. "Hey, did any of you just see a black cat with a yellow crescent on its forehead? Like, right out the window." The girls looked, but there was nothing there. "If it was there, we just missed it," Weiss noted. On the balcony, said cat breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, it was none of those girls," it said in a female voice, "Though their power is certainly close. Dear Queen Serenity, how I wish your spell hadn't been misfired. However will I find the princess in this situation?"

* * *

At the same time, Team JNPR was traveling from Mistral's port town to the central city of Haven, where the academy was located. Most enjoyably, they would be traveling along the well-known Tokaido road, the only road that Grimm completely avoided, and as such had a number of tourist hot-spots running along it. "Man," Nora said, "Three whole days of shopping, good food, hot springs. It is great to back." "Wait," Jaune said with amusement, "Am I the only member of this team that was actually born in Vale?" "I guess so," Pyrrha replied, "Anyway, we have a lot to do while we're in this kingdom."

Jaune nodded. Not only was Mistral the traditional home where the hermit from The Story of Seasons had once lived, but the team was also planning on visiting Pyrrha's family on the way. In addition, they were intending to investigate into the mysterious organization Cinder had supposedly belonged to. "Ozpin mentioned Qrow's investigations led him here," Ren said, "And we know Mercury and Emerald were sent out here by Cinder to get them to safety." Jaune still looked sorrowful about what happened. Luckily the rest of kingdom didn't make him a legend for killing Cinder, but for protecting his friends. That made dealing with the situation easier, the fact that people recognized how hard it was to do.

Deciding to change the subject, Nora chimed in, "So Pyrrha, I hear your folks spoke with Jaune's?" Pyrrha nodded, grateful for the chance to talk about something cheerful. "You should have heard Mom squeal when I told her who my boyfriend was. Turns out the Arc family is well-known across Remnant." "And then she made a crazy joke about the amount of kids we might be having," Jaune said, "She actually thought we might wind up with twelve. Seriously, I know my family is known for having so many kids, but we've never had more than eight per generation. My dad has three brothers and a sister." The team laughed as they headed down the road, secretly tailed by Qrow.

* * *

In Salem's citadel, the woman herself had gathered her three followers. "I believe we have waited long enough. We must discuss our current situation and determine our next course of action." "I'm afraid it's getting dire," Watts noted, "Our subordinates are deserting in droves. Cinder's failure in Vale has either removed all their fear of us, or instilled a deeper fear of our enemies." "Doesn't help that Cinder was caught off-guard by Ruby Rose," Tyrian said, "We've dealt with silver-eyed warriors before. How on Remnant was she not able to handle the situation?"

"She received a severe weakness when she took the Fall Maiden powers," Salem explained, "A costly oversight on our part that Jaune Arc was able to capitalize on. Still, I never expected him to outright kill an enemy." "Personally I think it was a matter of practicality," Watts admitted, "They weren't just going to let Cinder keep the power. Not when they knew what she planned to use it for. That, and Jaune's nature as an Arc made him see Cinder as a serious threat to his friends and allies." "And Penny's involvement was unexpected as well," Hazel chimed in, "We had no idea Atlas had developed an artificial warrior powerful enough to destroy an ancient Grimm."

"That just shows how little you have truly observed the world," came a deep, booming voice. Salem gasped, and she and the others turned to see a humanoid Grimm approach them. "Yamigedo," Salem said in shock, "But you had been sealed away centuries ago." "I was released during the Great War," Yamigedo explained, "Unfortunately it was right as the war had ended, and the newfound unity of the kingdoms proved a threat to me and my followers. I finally decided to emerge when I was told of your failed attempt to bring about the fall of one of the kingdoms. And that one of your enemies proved strong enough to destroy a Dragon."

"It's not as though we cannot replace it," Watts explained, "But it takes so much of Lady Salem's energy we didn't want to waste it." "If it is time you need," Yamigedo said, "I can provide. While I was sealed I felt the presence of a powerful source of negative energy, enough to keep my entire squadron of followers alive until our release. I will have my forces seek it out and bring it to this plane, though I should warn you it will only be enough to distract. It's power is weak to the point a first-year academy student could destroy it given time." And with that, he left the citadel.

* * *

As it happened, Yamigedo's forces, a collection of ancient Grimm collective referred to in legend as the Hundred Demons, were already speaking with the source of the negative energy, a group of dark creatures that referred to themselves as the Dark Kingdom. Their ruler, Queen Beryl, spoke at length about her story and her purpose in life. Yamigedo approached the meeting and spoke with his second-in-command, Zustein. "She's egocentric beyond belief," Zustein explained, "And her generals are no better. Plus, her Youma, as she calls them, are weaker than the weakest Beowolf. Can we really make use of her?"

"We only need her as a distraction," Yamigedo explained, "We can try to draw it out by having her generals work with Salem's faction, but that carries risk. Did she say what her goal is?" "She seeking the means to awaken her master, Metalia," Zustein replied, "As well as get back her former lover, a young prince named Endymion, and take revenge on the princess Serenity for supposedly stealing her from Beryl." Yamigedo scoffed. "I get the feeling he left Beryl of his own volition. In any event, Remnant has no princes or princesses, but there's no need to tell her that."

* * *

Back in Vale, Team SAND was staring in disbelief at the cat that had walked right up to Serena and started talking with her as if she knew her. At first Albus and Nayru thought it might be a Grimm, but Serena reminded them that her Semblance, which alerted her to forces of negativity such as the Grimm, did not get triggered by the cat, who called herself Luna. Luna, as it happened, was searching for a long-lost princess, and believed Serena was that princess. They shared information about each other, Luna going into great detail about the Moon Kingdom, and Serena discussing everything that was known about Remnant.

"I must admit it's a little odd seeing a princess taking on what is essentially a mercenary job," Luna noted, "But it's still protecting the innocent, so I suppose it works. I'm just glad I was able to reach you before the Dark Kingdom could attack. You see, they too wound up sent here to this planet." "Don't worry," Serena said, "There's plenty of capable Hunstmen and Huntresses to deal with whatever the Dark Kingdom has to throw at us." Luna smiled. "Some extra allies would be appreciated, but paramount is finding the rest of the Sailor Senshi, your personal guard." That's when the nearby vid-screen, which Albus had been watching, showcased an attack on a local jewel store. An alert came in requesting student aid for the situation.

To be continued...

 **Nothing like trial under fire, right? We'll continue to look into the adventures of Teams RWBY and JNPR in further chapters, and eventually they'll get mixed up in the whole Dark Kingdom affair. For the record, Albus is meant to be inspired by Pit, while Nayru is inspired by Phosphora. Read and review.**


	38. Chapter 38: The New Enemy

**I'll probably be slowing down on the updates a bit now that I've accomplished my primary goal, but I always intended to extend the story beyond Volume 3. I was also asked about Serena's manner of dress. I suppose it could be based off the combat uniforms I've seen in the Tenchi Muyo series, but I never intended to go into detail considering how many different styles you'll find in the world of RWBY. That said, she will get her transformation sequence, it just won't be typical anime. Disclaimer: I don't RWBY, Devil May Cry, Sailor Moon, Kid Icarus, or Future Card Buddyfight.**

Chapter 38: The New Enemy

Jaune and Pyrrha were enjoying a good soak in one of the hot springs that dotted the Tokaido. It wasn't immediately obvious to an outside observer, but they were in there without bathing towels. That said, they were just enjoying the bath and simply snuggling. "Man," Pyrrha said, "I really needed this. Even after so many months, I still feel that arrow." She gently rubbed her heel where it had been shot during the Battle of Beacon. While it no longer hurt to put pressure on it, there was still some phantom pain on occasion.

"I'm just glad we can still be together like this," Jaune said, "Especially considering your new position as a Maiden." Pyrrha giggled and playfully jabbed her lover in the shoulder with her elbow. "Come on Jaune, that's just a title. Plenty of my predecessors have had relationships." She winked. "Put it this way, would I even have these powers if I needed to be an actual maiden?" Jaune laughed, both at the realization of what Pyrrha meant, and having his own words thrown back at him. The two scooched closer together as Pyrrha rested her head on Jaune's shoulder, while Jaune put his arm around Pyrrha's shoulder.

* * *

As Team SAND rushed to where the attack was reported, Serena looked at the strange locket Luna had offered her. "So," Serena asked Luna, "How does this work?" "It's meant to be tied to your soul energy," Luna explained, "The activation phrase is-" But before Luna could finish, the locket glowed and suddenly Serena found herself in a different uniform. Luna looked astonished, not only because the uniform looked different than the normal standard she was familiar with, having a longer skirt and outer jacket, but also because Serena was able to conjure it without the activation phrase.

"How on Earth did you do that?," Luna asked. "I just focused my Aura through the locket," Serena explained, "Aura is the manifestation of the soul, and this thing is soul-powered, so..." Luna looked forward as they continued racing through the streets. "I suppose I should have realized that was possible given your current state of being." Darien found himself blushing at his partners new outfit. "I gotta say, it really suits you Serena." Serena smiled. "Thanks. Now let's hurry, we have bad guys to stop."

* * *

Meanwhile, Team RWBY was being taken by ship to Menagerie. "I don't get it," Ruby said, "I mean, I understand why we can't just take a Bullhead to Menagerie. But aren't there commercial liners designed to outfly Grimm?" Blake shrugged. "Unfortunately, Menagerie doesn't have the means to accommodate aircraft. Going by ship is our only option." "Guess that's first thing on our list we need to address," Weiss said, noting down the item on her scroll. Yang snickered. "What's your betting this'll break your dad's bank account?"

"As amusing as that sounds," Weiss replied, "Father won't be getting the money just from his own account. Once we're done assessing what Menagerie requires for comfortable living, we'll be heading to Atlas. Father has prepared a charity event, with the minimum donation starting at the hundred million lien mark." She smirked. "Allegedly this money is going to 'relief packages'." Blake raised an eyebrow. "But, our economy is actually one of the few things we've stabilized-" Her eyes went wide as she realized what Weiss was getting at, and grinned. "A little dishonest, but I think I can forgive your father for this one."

As the ship passed by an outcropping of rocks, Blake's cat ears twitched. "Girls, I'm hearing something under the water." A sudden surge of water pushed the ship away from the rocks as a giant, serpentine Grimm emerged from the surface. "Captain!," one of the crew called out, "Jormungandr off the starboard!" "It must have been following us for a while," Weiss noted, "Why did it wait until just now to attack?" Yang realized something. "It must have sensed Ruby. Ever since her little trick with the Dragon, she's been working on perfecting it."

"Of course," Weiss realized, "Her silver eyes. The legend surrounding them is that the Grimm feared such warriors. The Jormungandr must have been waiting until it could get into a position that would provide cover from Ruby's eyesight." Yang looked at the outcropping. "It probably should have checked the other side. Those rocks look like they would make great stepping-stones. I mean, if you happened to be in the Huntsman business." The girls readied their weapons and started leaping across the rocks. The captain and helmsman took notice of this and brought the ship to a complete stop. And they weren't the only ones on the ship to see Team RWBY.

* * *

In a hidden location in Mistral, Mercury walked into the bedroom he shared with Emerald, only to find her on the bed crying her eyes out into the pillow. "Still upset by what we heard?," the assassin asked. Emerald nodded wordlessly. Mercury sighed as he sat down near her. "I honestly blame myself. As an assassin I should have taken any possible deviations from what we knew seriously. Maybe Dad didn't train me as well as I thought. I picked a bad time to succeed him."

Emerald actually smiled at him. "Don't say that. We wouldn't have met if wasn't for that event." Mercury grinned. "A little morbid to think about, but you have a point. By the way, you haven't felt anything have you?" Emerald shook her head. "I know Cinder intended to keep the Fall Maiden power out of Pyrrha's hands just to spite her, so logically she may have tried to keep me in mind near the end. But maybe I'm a little too old, or Cinder wasn't given enough time to think about me. There could be a hundred explanations, but the point is the power's been lost to the wind." She and Mercury embraced, before settling in for the night.

* * *

Team SAND found the location mentioned in the news. Already the strange creatures were being laid out by Teams CFVY and CRDL. Luna looked completely shocked to see what she thought was an ordinary warrior crack the skull of one of the dark creatures. "I've never seen normal humans defeat Youma so easily." "Is that what they're called?," Serena asked, "Well, don't forget Huntsmen and Huntresses are a different breed." One of the Youma spotted Serena, and it's eyes went wide. The creature charged at her, but got a severe surprise when Serena stabbed it with the blade from her weapon, the Lunacy Veil.

"Serena," Coco said, "Nice of you and your team to join us." She then pulled down her sunglasses. "And that's a nice style you're rocking. What store did you get that from?" Serena shrugged as she switched Lunacy Veil to scepter mode and blasted the Youma. "Long story. So what's the deal with these monsters?" "No idea," Velvet said, her camera having created a copy of Titan Leash, "They somehow completely bypassed the kingdoms security measures. Fortunately, they're not that tough." Luna observed the fight with vested interest.

These Huntsmen were on a level only ever reached by the Sailor Senshi, their weapons capable of rending a Youma to dust with just one strike. Many of them also seemed to double as firearms, blasting enemies with a strange substance that seemed elementally charged. Plus, the people standing on the sidelines didn't seem the least bit phased by the monstrous appearance of the Youma, when the denizens of the Moon Kingdom were flat out terrified just by looking at them. _'How ironic. This is clearly a more barbaric planet than Earth, yet it just may give us the means to restore our grand kingdom.'_

* * *

Watts walked in on the Dark Kingdom general known as Jadeite. He regarded the image on the strange orb with amusement. Contrary to what the cocky general believed, his initial wave was getting decimated by Vale's Hunstmen. "Well I do believe Salem tried to warn your queen," Watts noted, "This planet is nothing like the simple Moon Kingdom you attacked millennia ago. Humans are used to seeing monsters, to the point they only frighten them when attacking. And as you can see, Dust is more than potent enough to destroy your soldiers."

Angered, Jadeite grabbed Watts' collar in a threatening manner. "Don't you dare mock me! I was given this task personally by Queen Beryl herself! My soldiers were able to complete bypass this pathetic kingdom's defenses, something your Grimm could never accomplish on their own! We have brought an entire solar system to its knees, while you couldn't even destroy one city!" Watts smirked. "That says more about the strength of our enemies than the weakness of ourselves. And while you were able to wipe out most life from a single solar system, I can't help but notice you aren't invading from said system, but a pocket dimension you had apparently been sealed in."

Jadeite then noticed the gun Watts had pointed to his stomach. "From what I've observed," Watts noted, "Dust is powerful enough to injure the strongest of your kind, and outright destroy your rank and file. I would recommend you let go. It'd be a hassle to report that you need to be replaced so soon into this operation." Jadeite growled, but let go of Watts' collar. After adjusting his jacket, Watts noted, "If it makes you feel any better one of the Huntresses seems to match the description of this princess Beryl wants dead so badly." That got Jadeite's attention.

* * *

Team RWBY was now face-to-face with the Jormungandr and already firing on it. The beast stayed as far back as possible, blasting at the rocky outcropping with energy spheres from its mouth. One good shot caught the team off-guard and threw them across the outcropping. Ruby quickly recovered using her newly evolved Semblance and was able to reach Yang and get her out of the way of another shot, but it looked like Yang had taken a bad hit against the rocks. "You okay Yang?" Yang looked at her sister and smiled. "Hey Ruby, you do all your homework cause if not Qrow will kick my ass!" That just got her a flat look. "You're fine," Ruby concluded.

Blake and Weiss nearly hit the rocks, but found themselves saved at the last minute. Blake soon saw she was now being held bridal style by Sun. "Hey gorgeous," Sun said with a wink, "Long time no see." Blake blushed, but smiled. "It's good to see you too." She surprised Sun with a quick peck on his cheek. Weiss similarly found herself saved by Neptune. "Hey Weiss," he said, "Normally I'm not a fan of the water, but when I saw you out here I just had to drop in." Weiss excitedly hugged him, saying, "My hero!" A loud roar reminded the group of their current predicament.

However, before the Jormungandr could approach, it was hit with several Dust missiles. The six Huntsmen turned to see a familiar sight. "Hey Ruby," said the familiar form of Sydney, "Didn't think we'd wind up on the same ship." "Same ship?," Weiss asked in confusion, "I thought this ship was going to Menagerie." "That's just the first stop," Sun explained, "But after that it's heading for Vacuo. I was heading there to check in on my family, and somehow managed to convince Neptune to tag along." "Guess that explains why Team SLVR's here too," Blake noted.

"They were in Vale earlier," Ruby explained, "With the Dragon gone the government wants to recheck the situation in Mountain Glenn to see if it can't be salvaged. Several teams volunteered to look into it." By now, the Jormungandr was starting to recover. Yang, now recovered from her temporary concussion, said, "Sis, don't you think it's time we stop fooling around." Ruby nodded, then turned her gaze to the beast. Sensing what was to come, the serpent tried to flee. Too late, however, as Ruby's eyes already began to shine. The tell-tale wings erupted from them, covering the area in light. Once it faded, the others were just in time to catch the now petrified Jormungandr sinking into the ocean.

"So that's what happened to the Dragon," Rasaki said, "How did you do that?" "Apparently it has something to do with my eyes," Ruby explained, pointing to her silver eyes, "The first time was spontaneous, when I thought Pyrrha had been killed by Cinder. Since then my training has allowed me to summon that power at will. I prefer to save it for larger Grimm, however." She looked sad. "Apparently my mom also had this power, and now I want to know the full details of her last mission. But for now we have a job to do in Menagerie." She looked at the others. "Feel like coming with?" "Why not?," Sun said, "I've always wanted to see it." The others were in agreement, and the arrangements were made as the ship started moving again.

To be continued...

 **More story to come as next chapter. I'm off the rails here as far as RWBY canon, hence the chapters may take longer to come out. Also, while the time skip is around the same length of time, I did give a logical reason for Ruby not using her new power that often.** **As for the sea dragon's new name, I thought it would be more appropriate.** **Read and review.**


	39. Chapter 39: Team RALM

**Sorry for being complacent, but with my biggest goal for this story over I kinda lost my steam. No matter, there's still a lot I want to accomplish with this. Also, someone asked me if I was planning on using every Sailor Moon season. Well, yeah, but not necessarily in order. And some aspects of the original anime will be left out (though really just the Doom Tree arc). Also, we're introducing a new team here, and I think you can guess given the context who they are. Team name is pronounced as realm. Disclaimer: I don't RWBY, Devil May Cry, Sailor Moon, Kid Icarus, or Future Card Buddyfight.**

Chapter 39: Team RALM

Serena was looking over the various Huntresses currently attending the academy. Nayru, who was sitting nearby shoveling food into her mouth, looked over. "What's this about?" "Luna's been adamant about finding the remaining Sailor Senshi," Serena explained, "I asked Glynda for a full roster of students, thinking maybe Luna could pick them out by appearance. Supposedly I perfectly resemble my previous incarnation, so who's to say it won't be the same here?"

"Why bother?," Albus asked, sitting across from them, "We've got more than enough muscle to take on these Dark Kingdom jerks." Luna was sitting on the table nearby, and shook her head dismissively. "I'm not saying you don't. But don't forget what happened towards the end of the battle yesterday." During the conflict, the mysterious creatures Luna referred to as Youma had made attempts to capture Darien, which proved ultimately futile thanks his own skills as a Huntsman, and even spotted and tried attacking Luna. This act convinced people that the creatures couldn't be a new species of Grimm, since Grimm never attacked animals unless it was territorial.

As Team SAND contemplated this, another team, this one all female, approached. "Hey Serena," said a dark-haired girl their own age. Serena looked and smiled. "Hey, Raye, Ami, Mina, Lita! Albus, Nayru, these are mine and Darien's friends from Signal. Amy Mizuno, Raye Hino, Lita Kino, and Mina Aino. Girls, these are Albus Ikaros and Nayru Fulgur." "Yeah," Lita said, "We heard about you from the orientation, and that crazy event from the jewelry store." "You guys all got into your own team, didn't you?," Darien asked.

Raye nodded. "Yep, Team RALM." "With you as leader, of course," Darien noted, "Back in Signal, we always said you, Serena, and Ruby would make great team leaders." Albus blinked. "Wait, you were in Signal with Ruby Rose?" "Well, yeah," Serena said, "We actually were good friends. But then Ruby got involved in that Dust robbery and helped catch the thieves, and so she got moved up a couple grades." During all this, Luna was looking at Team RALM with a look of disbelief. "You're here...," she muttered, "All at once."

The girls looked at Luna. "Uh...," Lita said, "Is this cat talking too?" Serena looked shocked. "Too? As in you've already seen one?" Suddenly, up onto the table leaped a pure white cat with a similar crescent symbol. "Artemis," Luna said, recognizing the other cat, "Here you are." The cat Artemis responded in a male voice. "Good to see you again Luna. When I saw what was going on in the news I was amazed. I had already found the other four Senshi but had no idea where you were."

The girls then each brought out four small sticks, each with a planet-like object on top with a strange symbol. "By coincidence," Amy noted, "They each match up with our Emblems." Luna looked at the badges the girls showed, with Serena showing her own emblem, a crescent symbol like the one on Luna and Artemis' head, only with a contrasting sphere inside the crescent. "Talk about peculiar," Nayru noted. "Maybe there is something about this whole, reincarnation thing," Darien said, "Like, maybe some of our old memories are leaking through."

"That would make some sense," Serena noted, "Apparently we were together in our last life. And do you remember our first meeting growing up back home." Darien smiled. "How could I forget? At first it felt like meeting again, even though we had only seen each other once. Then we got to talking and seeing each other more and more." "That may be more than just reincarnation," Albus noted, "After all, just because memories remain, doesn't mean the heart is the same. If we could only find this Moon Kingdom, it would answer a lot of questions."

"Slim chance of that, I'm afraid," Artemis chimed in, "We were sent here with a package designed to teleport us to the Moon Kingdom, but it was recently confiscated during that huge battle a few months ago." "Oh right," Mina said, "There was a minor news snippet after the Battle of Beacon. Atlesian soldiers had found some sort of capsule containing unknown machinery. They took it back to their kingdom to have it analyzed. Hey, maybe they'll reverse engineer it. Such technology could do wonders for uniting the kingdoms." Luna breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, at least it's in good hands. And we have a good idea of where it could be."

"Out of curiosity," Nayru said, "Why would this Dark Kingdom invade the Moon Kingdom in the first place?" The two cats looked at each. "Y'know, the reason in hindsight seems kinda stupid," Artemis admitted, "See, the ruler of the Dark Kingdom is Queen Beryl. At one point she was just another woman from Earth, and at one point was in a relationship with Prince Endymion from the same planet." "So why break it off?," Darien asked, "If this is the past me we're talking about, the details are kinda vague."

"As much as Beryl loved Endymion," Luna explained, "She completely ignored everyone else. Endymion tried to get her to see more than just him, but she kept saying there was no one else important to her. He broke it off then and there. And that's where Princess Serenity came in, just a few days later." "She was traveling to Earth with her Royal Guards on a diplomatic mission," Artemis continued, "There she met Endymion and his four generals. Princess Serenity seemed to be everything Beryl wasn't, and it charmed Endymion. Before long the two had fallen in love."

Luna shook her head. "Beryl was furious when she found out. She somehow got the idea that the princess had bewitched Endymion somehow. Angered beyond all reason, Beryl unleashed a great terror known as Metalia. She intended to use this great force of destruction to destroy the entire Moon Kingdom. However, she didn't realize just how little control of the situation she truly had. She wanted to keep the Earth as it was, since it was an independent nation and Endymion's home. Instead Metalia brainwashed most of the court, taking control of their military for her purposes."

"That included Endymion's loyal generals," Artemis said sadly, "Luckily, Endymion was already making his own trip to the Moon Kingdom. But that's where things went downhill. Metalia's attack caught us off-guard, and our forces were slaughtered. It was especially bad for Princess Serenity's guardians, who had fallen in love with said generals. The princess tried to flee as her friends were killed, not wanting to make their sacrifice worthless. But when she saw Endymion had also been caught up in the battle, it pushed her over the edge."

Serena shuddered. "That explains that nightmare... But hold on. From everything you're saying, it sounds like Beryl started this whole thing... Just based on our love life." "I said it seemed stupid in hindsight," Artemis said flatly. "But what happened after that?," Lita asked. "Seeing all the destruction," Luna explained, "Queen Serenity, the princess' mother, used a powerful jewel called the Silver Moon Crystal, to collect the souls of everyone and send them to Earth where they could be reborn and fight back against the Dark Kingdom, who were also sealed to end the destruction."

"Unfortunately," Artemis said with a sigh, "The queen was too weak to fully extend her arm before the spell fired. Instead of being sent to Earth, the spell was sent out into space. It was lucky Remnant was there to receive it." "But now the Dark Kingdom is back," Luna said, "And what we saw in Vale is just the beginning." "Not quite," Amy said, "Believe it or not, similar attacks have been reported in other areas as well. Most of it's been small-scale. This is the first major attack recorded." The two cats looked at each other in shock. They had expected the Dark Kingdom to concentrate on where the Moon Princess was. The fact that they were going more wide-spread could mean they were working with someone else.

* * *

Salem shook her head in embarrassment as Jadeite mentioned sighting both the reincarnation of Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion. Up until now Yamigedo had been able to direct the queen to spread her forces across Remnant. It worked well for their intended purpose of distracting the Huntsmen and military, and was a logical strategy that Beryl seemed alright with utilizing. But now that the very source of her ire was located, she would be adamant about focusing their efforts in one location. Luckily, Salem was smarter.

"Your Majesty, if I may interject," she said, catching Beryl's attention, "As a Huntress, the girl in question has free reign to travel the kingdoms. Focusing on Vale alone would not guarantee you'd find her." It was a lie, since only second-year and above students were permitted to accept out-of-kingdom training jobs, but there was no need for Beryl to know this. "I see your point," Beryl said, completely buying the lie, "Perhaps instead we can have Jadeite sweep the kingdom regularly, while my other three generals are positioned elsewhere."

Yamigedo breathed a sigh of relief. True this Silver Moon Crystal could have the power to restore Metalia, but that was assuming its energy was neutral. Plus, there was the question of how Beryl was supposed to wield a power source that supposedly only the royal family of the Moon Kingdom could use. _'She's better off relying on life force. Too bad the current environment doesn't give her that opportunity. I give her forces a few weeks before we are forced to rely on other means to distract from Salem's task.'_ He turned to Salem, still concentrating on the cauldron containing the strange liquid capable of spawning Grimm.

* * *

Elsewhere, Teams RWBY and SLVR, as well as Sun and Neptune, finally disembarked at Menagerie. "Whoa," Sun said in amazement, "This place looks amazing." The dock where they were doubled as a thriving marketplace, and the variety of Faunus moving through was large. "Mom always told me stories of Menagerie," Viridian said, "But I never thought I'd see it with my own eyes. But it does seem a little crowded, even for a marketplace." Blake sighed. "That's because there's very little room. The entire city is surrounded by deserts filled with dangerous creatures. That means, unlike Vacuo, we can't take advantage of the entire island for living."

Weiss was taking it all in and making observations, jotting down notes in her scroll. "So where's the housing district?" "Right over there," Blake said, pointing to an expansive, forested valley with numerous houses. "So," Sun asked, "Which one do you live in?" Blake simply pointed to the biggest house in the area, causing everyone's jaws to drop. "Blake that house is as big as mine," Weiss noted, "You never told me you came from money." "Well Dad is the settlement's chief," Blake reminded her as they approached the house.

She looked at the giant door knocker and seemed to hesitate. Sun noticed this and asked, "What's wrong?" Blake sighed. "I... Didn't part with my parents on good terms. I'm not sure how they'll feel seeing me again." Ruby put a reassuring hand on Blake's shoulder. "Families have fights all the time, Blake. Just look at me and Yang." Blake smiled. Despite being fully aware of what state the world was in, Ruby just seemed to be an oasis of innocence that spread to everyone around her.

Now feeling more confident, Blake gave the door knocker a swing. The booming sound it made seemed to echo for miles. "That is very intimidating," Sun noted. Before long the door was opened by a Faunus woman. It was clear to the group from her dark hair and familiar facial features that she was related to Blake. Sure enough, Blake said to the woman, "Hi Mom, I'm home." The woman, Kali, teared up immediately and hugged Blake. "Blake, my baby girl, you don't know how much we've missed you." This revelation surprised Blake, but she was quick to return her mother's hug.

Just then a deeper, male voice called out, "Kali! Who is it?" A rather large a muscular man approached. He seemed stern at first, but when he laid eyes on Blake his expression softened immediately. "Blake..." "Hi Daddy," Blake said, "Guys, this is my father Ghira, the chieftain of this settlement." The group was invited in for tea while Blake explained what was happening. "I can't tell you how relieved I am to see you safe sweetheart," Ghira said to Blake, "When we heard about the Battle of Beacon, especially that some people lost their lives, we feared the worst."

"You really don't have to worry about Blake," Sun said, "Seriously, her fighting skills are beyond incredible. She was able to go toe-to-toe with Adam, her own teacher." "Yes," Kali said sadly, "We were told about Adam's actions, and that he was arrested for terrorism." Ghira sighed. "I blame myself for not seeing the signs sooner. Some therapy and a little perspective would have done the boy some good. Not to mention the trauma he forced upon Blake." "I've gotten over it," Blake admitted with a shrug, "The nightmares stopped not long after the battle."

Ghira smiled and nodded, impressed with his daughter's newfound strength. "I must admit to some curiosity as to why Humans would visit our settlement. Menagerie has not seen a single Human since it was first offered to our kind." Weiss spoke up. "My father, Jacques Schnee, wanted to avoid an escalation between our family and the White Fang after the arrest of Adam, so he entered negotiation with the High Leader. The agreement was to make conditions here more comfortable for all Faunus." She brought out her scroll. "Father decided the best way to do that would be to take steps to have Menagerie recognized as a new kingdom in its own right, and planned accordingly."

Ghira blinked at the implications of this. If Menagerie could become recognized as a kingdom, rather than a settlement, it would mean greater living space, a means to communicate with Faunus living in other kingdoms, and a chance for Faunus children to receive better education, up to and including Huntsman training. He narrowed his eyes. "Can your father even afford to do all that?" "Not on his own," Weiss admitted, "Which is why he's relying on the 'generous' nature of the other rich families in Atlas to provide funding." Ghira expression softened, and he began to laugh heartily. "You certainly have chosen some good friends, Blake."

Just then another loud knock was heard from the front door. "Hmm," Ghira said with a frown, "I'd nearly forgotten. Some representatives of the White Fang were supposed to arrive to discuss recent matters." The group all looked at each other with some trepidation. Outside the front door were two fox Faunus, Corsac and Fennec Albain. They bowed with respect to Ghira. "Greetings, Chief Belladonna," Corsac said, "I trust you are well. Listen, in addition to our earlier discussion, we should inform you we have learned that several Humans are planning to-" He and his brother then noticed said Humans standing behind Ghira.

"Yes," Ghira noted, "They already spoke to me about their plans... To have Menagerie become its own kingdom." Fennec looked to his brother, who seemed just as surprised. "I see," Fennec said, "This... Is most wonderful news to hear. I'm sure our brothers and sisters in the White Fang will be pleased with this announcement." "They should already know," Blake noted, "The decision was made as part of an agreement with Sienna Khan, the High Leader. Isolated as we are, Menagerie is not completely cut off from the outside world. And such an important victory for the White Fang's cause is not something Sienna would keep quiet about, least of all from his followers."

"Yes, well," Corsac said, shifting uncomfortably, "Our organization has been in disarray ever since Adam Taurus was revealed as a terrorist and leader of the splinter faction. Our branch here in Menagerie has not received any messages from our other branches since the Battle of Beacon." Ghira frowned. "Perhaps we should reschedule our meeting for another time. I believe the discussion I was having with Blake's friends is of far greater importance." The two brother bowed. "Yes, of course," Fennec said, "And Blake. You are most welcome to rejoin our brotherhood. I'm sure Ilia would pleased to see you again."

Blake shook her head. "I'm too far ingrained in my Huntsman training. Perhaps when I graduate, I'll consider rejoining. By then, the White Fang may go back to being what it once was, after the end of the Great War." The two brothers nodded. "One can only hope," Corsac admitted. And with that, the two brother left, though Sydney noted they were still talking once they reached the bottom of the stairs. "Something about them seem off to anyone?" There was a general agreement before Ghira closed the door. Outside, the two brothers were talking. "A chance for our home to be recognized," Corsac said, "Why were we not informed of this?" "This is clearly a sign Sienna Khan does not trust us," Fennec noted, "Due to our previous association with Adam."

* * *

Back along the Tokaido, Team JNPR was sitting around a table at one of the four inns along the road, enjoying a good meal. Little did they know, Qrow was also there, sitting at a table right along the back wall. As he sipped his drink, a familiar voice walked up to him, saying, "Buy you another drink, mister?" He looked up to see Winter standing there, a wry smile on her face. "Well this is a first," Qrow admitted, "Having a lady chase me." "As much as I'd like to," Winter said as she sat down across from Qrow, "I'm not the chasing sort. I just have business in Mistral. Off the record from Atlas."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "That's a little unusual, especially for you. Something you're not telling me?" Winter smirked. "Come on, you know perfectly well what I'm talking about." Qrow shrugged. "I guess I do." He then frowned. "You're planning on traveling with me aren't you? Even knowing about me." Winter nodded. "I figure if anyone could help you break that streak, I could. Plus..." She looked over to Pyrrha. "It will help me keep on eye... On my new sister." Qrow grinned and leaned back. "All right then. At the very least, I know you can handle yourself if trouble happens to come knocking." They looked at each other with a warm smile.

To be continued...

 **I won't reveal what Winter means, just yet. But yes, each group is doing their own thing, and soon the first major conflict will begin. For the record, I'll be combing elements from most of the Sailor Moon franchise (using American names for the scouts while using the original names for the generals, that sort of thing). Read and review.**


	40. Chapter 40: Headmaster's Duty

**As I continue to see more of Volume 4, I realize how much I have to leave out, and keep strictly off-screen. And how much will be changed as a result of my decisions. For example, due to the Battle of Beacon going differently in my story, Team JNPR is bypassing the outer villages of Mistral and heading straight for the kingdom proper. Tough luck a new Grimm was introduced that I unfortunately can't write into the story at this time. You can probably guess were this is going. Disclaimer: I don't RWBY, Devil May Cry, Sailor Moon, Kid Icarus, or Future Card Buddyfight.**

Chapter 40: Headmaster's Duty

Emerald teared up when she was shown the image of Cinder's dead body, laden in a transparent coffin. 'I'm sorry to have shown you this,' Hazel said over the scroll, 'But I thought you should be aware of her fate. I trust you enough to believe you when you say the Maiden's power was not transferred to you, but that still leaves the question of where it could've gone. By our best estimate, there are two possible candidates, but nothing conclusive to point to either one. As luck would have it, one of those potentials, Pyrrha Nikos, is said to heading to Mistral with her team. And I'll be frank, their mission there is to seek you and Mercury out.'

Emerald shook her head. "If they could take Cinder out me and Mercury don't stand a chance. We'll try to keep a low profile. They can't stay forever, after all." Hazel nodded. 'Smart girl. We'll send someone to extricate you just in case.' Emerald closed her eyes. "Did... Did she suffer?" Hazel closed his own eyes. 'She was likely in pain due to Ruby's silver eyes, but Jaune's attack ended that pain rather abruptly. It was a quick, clean strike. Between that and the pain she already felt, I'd be surprised if she even felt the blade.' Emerald nodded. "Hurry soon. If JNPR is taking the road I think they are, they'll be here by tomorrow at most."

* * *

Back on the Tokaido, Qrow was heading up to his room, which was now being shared with Winter. "Forgot to ask," Qrow said, "Does your pop know you're out here?" Winter smiled. "Whether he does or not is moot. Even if this is an off-the-record assignment, it was still approved by General Ironwood, which means Father can't do much about it without exposing the assignment. Besides, he's too busy setting up a benefit concert." Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Who's benefiting?" "Supposedly it's to offer relief to the citizens of Menagerie," Winter explained, "In reality, it's so Father can raise funds to have Menagerie recognized as its own kingdom."

Qrow took a second to let that sink in. "Okay, I must have been hitting the booze more than usual, cause I could swear I heard something about your pop doing something legitimately selfless." Winter snickered, something rare for her. "Father? Selfless? This is really just to prevent my family's war with the White Fang from escalating. Father was concerned something like that could happen with the arrest of Adam Taurus." Qrow breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Dust. I thought I was conked out for a second there." The two of them laughed as they entered their room.

* * *

That night, Ren awoke in his bed with a start. Breathing heavily, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Nora beside him, a worried expression on her face. "Don't tell me you still get nightmares," she asked, "Even after the Nuckelavee was destroyed." The Nuckelavee was an ancient Grimm, giving the appearance of a skinless human torso with a horned head, atop an equine body. This Grimm had destroyed the village Ren and Nora had once called home, Kuroyuri, but had been slain by Ruby during her first solo mission, though she had accepted help from local Huntsmen for safety reasons.

It had been a spectacular battle. The Nuckelavee recognized Ruby's power in an instant, and for the first time since people could remember seeing it, it showed signs of fear. Ruby had the other Huntsmen prepare some artillery, and distracted the beast as they did. Once they had everything set up, Ruby once again used her miraculous power, petrifying the monster that had threatened the continent of Anima for untold ages. After that it was bombarded with artillery at several keys weak points, and while the main body remained intact, both its heads were knocked off, the smoke seeping from its petrified form a clear indicator of its demise.

Ruby had returned to Vale to find a hero's welcome. True it was only from Nora and Ren, but the thought was appreciated. However, for the first time since the day his parents died, Ren found himself dreaming of the incident. Nora looked sympathetic. "I guess it did hit you harder then me," she noted, "I was already an orphan when that monster attacked, but you... You had your family. I also thought you were the stronger of us because you never seemed to let it get to you." Ren smiled. "That's because of you. Some people may find you annoying, but I've always found your attitude the perfect way to forget everything." He put his arm around Nora, and she pressed a finger to his nose. "Boop." They giggled as they fell back asleep, Ren's dreams turning pleasant once more.

* * *

Meanwhile in Menagerie, Ruby and Sydney were in their shared room, listening to the talks going on in the room below them. Sydney snickered at what he could hear. "Makes sense that Ghira wouldn't be so approving of Sun," he noted, "A desert nomad hooking up with his precious daughter. And of course Blake and Kali are making the argument that Blake is old enough to make her own decisions." Ruby smiled. "Parents can be so embarrassing. I'm pretty sure Mom would have been if she were alive long enough to meet you." She and Sydney leaned against the railing. "Well," the wolf Faunus said, "Your dad seems to be embarrassing enough for both him and Summer. Though at least he doesn't have a problem with me."

Ruby nodded. "I'll give Ghira credit, though. At least he's up-front with his reasons for not liking Sun. Gotta like a straight-forward person." Just then the door burst open, but no one seemed to be entering. But Ruby noted Sydney's wolf ears twitching, meaning there was something there he could sense that she couldn't. They got out their weapons and waited patiently. When Sydney jerked his head in a direction, Ruby fired, managing to catch someone who yelped. In an instant, a young Faunus girl seemed to materialize in front of the duo, clutching her shoulder where Ruby's shot had hit her.

Soon enough, Weiss, Neptune, and Yang rushed. "Ruby, Sydney," Weiss said, "Someone swiped my scroll. Did you see any... Uh, nevermind." She had noticed the girl in question, and Neptune spotted the scroll sticking out from her pocket. Sun, Blake, Ghira, and Kali must have heard the commotion, because they, as well as Rasaki, Lionel, and Viridian, joined the group. Blake gasped when she saw who it was. "Ilia?" The girl, Ilia, sighed, her skin turning green and her hair, eyes, and skin spots turning blue. "Sorry you had to see me like this Blake."

"You know this girl?," Rasaki asked. Blake nodded. "This is Ilia Amitola. The Fennec brothers mentioned her earlier. We were friends together in the White Fang." "So," Ruby noted, "I'm guessing part chameleon? I mean, she was able to blend into the wall, and her skin color seems to be changing in response to her mood, so..." Ilia nodded. "Can I ask why you chose to steal my scroll?," Weiss asked. "I was told about your plans for Menagerie," Ilia explained, "And I wanted to confirm them for myself. But I don't trust Humans enough to just walk up and ask. For all I knew you could have faked that information. I thought this was the best way to get reliable information."

Tears started to form from her eyes. "But I knew you, Blake, would disapprove, hence why I was using my abilities to sneak around. I wish you didn't have to come back, but I guess one way or another it was inevitable." Taking pity on her old friend, Blake walked to Ilia and gave her a friendly hug. "I understand your apprehension, but you haven't lived around Humans long enough, only heard second-hand stories." She released the hug. "Listen, maybe you should travel with us for a while. While I can't speak for all Humans, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang are nothing like the stories you've been told." Ilia blinked for a while, her skin turning orange while her hair, eyes, and spots turned yellow, showing her curiosity.

* * *

In his office, Ozpin looked over the files for the new students. He wondered how things were going in the universe he had been transplanted from, and how bad the damage was there. He hoped things would get better. The sad thing was when things got bad, they tended to get worse, but when things turned around and got better, they tended to keep getting better. Case in point, the petrified remains of both the Dragon and Nuckelavee acted as a testament to a merciful reality. That no Grimm, no matter how ancient, was invincible.

But the news of strange new creatures appearing, separate from the Grimm, showing up was unusual. Then again, this was an alternate universe. There were likely differences already in place, besides the ones he was able to create. Which meant his knowledge of Salem's faction might not be as reliable. _'If we could only capture one of these new foes to interrogate,'_ he thought. That's when Glynda arrived. "Sir, we have an intruder attacking in the courtyard. From what we've observed, he seems to be targeting Teams SAND and RALM." Now curious, Ozpin grabbed his cane. "Glynda, have Peach, Port and Oobleck join me down in the courtyard."

He raced down to the courtyard using his Chrono Illusion to stop the attack of the man in question, Jadeite. Jadeite turned to look at the Headmaster. "Just who are you to interfere in the Dark Kingdom's affairs?," he asked, "This is no business of yours." "That's where you're wrong," Ozpin retorted, "I am the Headmaster of this Academy. And whatever these ladies and gentlemen may be to you, to me there are my students. And that means it is my duty to see to their safety within the academy grounds. Your feelings on the matter are irrelevant."

Jadeite growled as he continued to clash with Ozpin. The general thought he finally had a good shot, only to get blasted in the back by Port's blunderbuss. "Not the most attentive warrior, are you?," Port asked rhetorically. It wasn't long before Jadeite found himself surrounded by five teachers. _'Dammit,'_ he thought to himself, _'They shouldn't be interfering. They are supposed to be the resources for us, and the motive for the Moon Kingdom.'_ He dodged waves of flames from Oobleck's weapon, shards of earth via Glynda's Semblance, and projectile energy rings from Peach's chakrams.

As the students looked on, many of them cheering, Leonidas drove up in his bike. "What's going on here?," he asked Serena. Serena gave him a brief rundown of events. Luna and Artemis were watching the fight. "They're doing great," Artemis noted, "It would have taken the girls months of training to deal with a Dark Kingdom general." "That's the benefit of being a trained Huntsman," Leonidas noted. "But at this point it's a deadlock," Luna said, "Jadeite may be outclassed, but it would take far too long to defeat him with Dust alone."

Serena then dug into her uniform and pulled a spherical crystal, carved with numerous triangular cuts. "What about this? This is supposed to be that Silver Moon Crystal you were talking about, right?" Luna nodded, a little surprised. "Just where did you find it, anyway? I wasn't expecting it to show up so quickly." Serena shrugged. "When I was younger I just sort of found it lying in my family's fields. It almost looked like a Dust crystal, but the experts said it didn't match any sort of Dust ever recorded. If I combine it with my weapon and focus my Aura through it, it should lessen the danger to me. But at the same time I don't just want to destroy him. He used to be a good person, so if there was some way to bring back the old him..."

"It's possible," Luna admitted, "But you'd need to somehow convince him his current way of thinking is wrong. And Metalia was very thorough with her manipulations." Leonidas grinned. "Leave that part to me. Hey, Ozzie! Think you can pin him down for a few seconds?" Ozpin turned to see Leonidas and smiled. "I believe that can be arranged!" He hit a switch on his cane. From everyone else's perspective, he seemed to move at lightning fast speeds, easily knocking Jadeite to the ground in what seemed to be a single hit, but was likely more than several. Leonidas then walked up to the general and gazed into his eyes.

The scream that emitted from Jadeite spoke volumes about the amount of suffering he'd inflicted, now being forced back upon him. Raye sighed. "Now I just feel bad for him. Serena, why not finish this?" Serena nodded, and placed the Crystal into the special slot she had designed into Lunacy Veil. "I always thought I could use these two together, just not like what I'm about to do." Focusing her Aura through her weapon, and the Crystal inside it, a brilliant white light emerged from it and bathed the surrounding area. By the time it faded, Serena looked a little winded, but was able to keep herself from toppling over from the effort.

Meanwhile Jadeite had somehow had his dark uniform turn pure white, and he seemed to be in a state of confusion before fainting. "Well," Darien said as he helped Serena steady herself, "That was a thing. You feeling okay?" "I'm a little light-headed," Serena admitted, "Let's not use this too often, it felt rather draining on my Aura." "The Silver Moon Crystal is powered by its master's life-force," Luna noted, "Your Aura was simply the first to get used. Luckily it was durable enough for this simple spell. We'll know before long how effective it was on Jadeite." She looked at the hapless general as he was taken to the infirmary.

* * *

Watts had witnessed the entire thing and was quite fascinated by the sudden change. He immediately went to report it to Salem. When Beryl caught wind of what befell Jadeite, she was livid. "We shall send agents to dispose of him. I cannot have anyone turn traitor to our kingdom." "A bad decision," Yamigedo noted, "It would only compound the problem." Salem nodded. "Any agent you send to eliminate Jadeite will only be discovered by the high security of the academy, which has only increased since the Battle of Beacon. Which means unless you intend to send another general, your agent is only to find death waiting for them, not their target."

Beryl growled, but turned to her second general Nephrite. With a reserved sigh, Nephrite said, "I'm afraid they speak true, Your Majesty. The stars of Remnant are in patterns I have not seen, but once I was able to recognize their positions relative to Earth, reading them proved just as easy. Up until now our presence has been mere rumor, but now the stars are warning me that further attacks in Vale will end in futility. However, apparently they also speak of a gathering of seasons in the kingdom of Mistral." Salem and Yamigedo looked at each other. A gathering of seasons could only mean the four Maidens were converging in Mistral for whatever reason.

* * *

Elsewhere, in Patch, Raven walked up to Taiyang's home. She wasn't even sure why she was returning after so long. She had gotten to know Taiyang during her academy days and fallen head over heels. So did he. But some time after they graduated, Raven found herself pregnant. At the time, she feared motherhood would leave her weak emotionally, and she left not long after Yang was born to reunite with her old clan and regain her strength. It had worked, for a while. Apparently while she was gone, Taiyang had another daughter with Summer.

It made sense to Raven. Taiyang was distraught, and Summer, as their former team leader, offered support. Things could only escalate from there. If nothing else, Raven had to thank Summer for raising both their daughters. She actually wished she could, but Summer had apparently died during a mission some years ago. Still, Yang turned out alright in the end. She could still see much of herself in her daughter's eyes, mixed with Taiyang's own quirks. Like his out-of-nowhere puns. Finally reaching Taiyang's front door, Raven prepared to knock.

To her surprise, the door opened, and Taiyang stepped out, looking shocked to see his old flame once again. "This is a little awkward," Raven admitted. Taiyang smiled. "Yeah, it kinda is. But... It's still great to see you after so long." He invited Raven inside. Inside the house Raven's eyes were soon drawn to a series of pictures along the walls. Among them was a photo of their old team, Team STRQ. Raven looked sadly at Summer's photo. She then sat down with Taiyang at the table. "So," she said, "I think we have a lot to talk about."

To be continued...

 **For the record, I do intend to try reuniting Taiyang and Raven. Time will tell what this has in store. Yeah, a lot of differences I'll be having from canon for certain characters going forward will have to rely on the excuse of "it's an alternate universe". Luckily I was already upfront about that. Granted it still has some Peggy Sue elements, but it's largely AU. Huh... I just realized bluecatcinema has similar issues. Probably why he's moved away from canon characters. As to how Hazel knew about Team JNPR's mission, I'm willing to bet most Huntsman missions are public knowledge. Read and review.**


	41. Chapter 41: Rules Bent

**Been a few days since I last posted. Luckily I have this chapter all planned out. Just needed to finalize some things. Didn't help that I'm thinking several arcs ahead. Disclaimer: I don't RWBY, Devil May Cry, Sailor Moon, Kid Icarus, or Future Card Buddyfight.**

Chapter 41: Rules Bent

Ozpin spoke with Teams SAND and RALM in his office. "The man now known as Jethro has recovered. He seems to have very little memory of what has transpired. Perhaps this brainwashing involved more than merely mind-controlling him, but also erasing any memories involving the Moon Kingdom." "He seemed to recognize me," Raye noted, "In fact, there was a time we shared something. Something I only have vague memories of..." Ozpin nodded. "Give it time. Perhaps some of those memories will return. Hopefully nothing bad. In the meantime, we have something important to discuss."

He picked up his coffee cup and took a quick sip. "I've spoken with your feline companions, who brought me up to speed on the special abilities these generals have. The next one Beryl is likely to send, Nephrite, is an accomplished astrologer. I happen to know one or two experts in the field, who made mention that the stars are predicting a convergence of seasons in Mistral. I think you know what that implies." With recent events causing the two teams to be included as members of Ozpin's faction, they were aware of the existence of the Maidens, including the fact that Pyrrha had just become one.

"But how can we help?," Albus asked, "First-year students aren't allowed to take out-of-kingdom missions, unless it has to do with the Vytal Festival Tournament." "Normally, yes," Ozpin conceded, "However, we have bent the rules before for the sake of preserving peace, and we have been able to do so again. Accompanied by Professor Peach, as well as Teams CRDL and CFVY, you will be sent to Mistral to investigate signs that our enemies are active in that region." Serena sighed. "Man this is heavy. I didn't think we'd have such important missions thrown at us so quickly." Albus shrugged. "Well, if we have help, why complain?"

* * *

Inside his cell, Adam sat meditating. There was little else he could do. Blake had taken advantage of his Semblance's weakness, the fact that it drained his Aura to use, and practically crippled him. Fortunately, he was pleasantly surprised to learn how much he underestimated Human compassion. Though still tried and convicted as a terrorist, he was provided with expert medical attention to insure his condition was not permanent. But while his physical scars would one day heal, Blake's actions had left two scars that would never go away.

The first scar was on his heart. Blake had meant what she said, and Adam now knew that his former love was far from his reach. If he had any hope of getting any headway in his goals, he would have to give up that obsession, as it had proven to be a weakness. The second lay in front of him. His broken Grimm mask, meant as a symbol to spit in the faces of those who saw Faunus as monsters. But if events at the Battle of Beacon were anything to go by, that symbol had backfired, and his own people thought of the White Fang, or least those associated with the Vale branch, as monsters. A huge blow to his ideals.

As he reflected on his mistakes, a medical droid opened the door to his cell. "You have a message coming in," the droid said in its monotone voice, "I have been sent to escort you to the communications room." Adam nodded, and excepted the droid's help as it got him to his feet and clamped down like a makeshift crutch. The pain had long dulled, but that simply meant Adam's leg would not be moving on its own anytime soon. There were still guards posted near Adam at all times in spite of his condition, but he could hardly blame them. He would do the same if their roles were reversed.

When Adam was seated at the console, the image of Corsac Albain appeared. 'It is good to see you again,' Corsac said as he gave a quick bow, 'I see you have chosen to discard your mask.' "Even if I wanted to wear it again," Adam said solemnly, "It's been destroyed. So, did you find out about the expedition I told you about?" 'We did,' Corsac said with a nod, 'And it has proven most surprising. They speak of wanting to turn Menagerie into a proper kingdom. I have managed to make contact with Sienna Khan, and she confirmed it was a deal she made with Jacques Schnee in order to open negotiation to stop our ongoing conflict.'

To say Adam was shocked was an understatement. He was not so cynical as to believe it could never happen, but he never imagined it would happen within his lifetime. 'Also,' Corsac continued, 'I spotted Blake Belladonna amongst the expedition group that was sent.' "That explains much," Adam said, "Blake always wanted to end the fighting between our two races. And she is on the same Huntsman team as Jacques' daughter, Weiss. Between that and my incarceration, I'd say the old man was very motivated to finally give diplomacy a shot."

'Which leaves our hands tied,' Corsac noted, 'Even if we wanted to move, High Leader Khan has made a public announcement, stating any member of the White Fang that acts against the Humans while this matter is being resolved is effectively cut off from the organization. Rather unnecessary. Many of our brothers and sisters are waiting with bated breath to see how this will play out. Many have already purchased tickets to a charity concert meant to raise additional funds to support the work needed, including providing Menagerie with it's own Tower.' Adam suddenly had a thought. "What of Ilia? How does she feel about all this?"

* * *

Unknown to Adam, his question was being answered. Ilia was now on a boat heading from Menagerie to Solitas, the continent where Atlas was located. From there they would catch a private jet waiting for them. Ilia had never left Menagerie in her life, and had certainly never had contact with Humans. The stories she had heard of them were mixed, especially within the White Fang. Some feared them, some pitied them. Some blamed them for all Faunus problems, some said they merely weren't providing solutions. Well, not until now at least.

And while she had heard that it was possible for Humans and Faunus to interbreed, up until now she hadn't seen any examples. Yet she saw Ruby and Sydney, cuddling with each other like one of Blake's cheesy teenage romance novels. "I know, it's sappy," came Yang's voice as she approached, snapping Ilia out of her thoughts, "But Ruby's happy around Sydney, and they do seem made for each other. They share a lot of interests too. Who knew there was someone as into weapons as she was? Explains why his weapon is an exo-frame, literally the rarest weapon on Remnant, with scythes being a close second."

She spent some time studying her right arm, which Ilia noted was cybernetic. "Still wondering if I should've have spray-painted this yellow," Yang said, "Blake says the silver color does a good job off-setting the rest of my outfit... I guess I shouldn't have to rely on looks to impress Rigel, but... Hey, Ilia, what do you think?" Ilia looked shocked, her shifting colors changing to represent this and her embarrassment. Yang looked confused. "Sorry," Ilia said, "I was just trying to ignore the Goliath in the room." She looked over to Yang. "How did that happen anyway?"

Yang shrugged. "Little mishap during the Battle of Beacon." "Does it hurt any?," Ilia asked. "Not after the initial shock," Yang admitted, "Sure sometimes it tingles, especially when I installed my new arm. Really, Adam could have done worse." Ilia froze. Sure Adam hated Humans, but something like this just seemed too cruel. "Do you... Hate Faunus because of that?" "Just Adam," Yang replied, "I nearly lost a big piece of myself because of this. If not for Blake, I think I would have lost my steam. Lost my drive for adventure. And don't forget, Blake is a Faunus too. But she's my partner first, and probably my best friend."

She put her other arm and Ilia's shoulder to reassure her. "So no. I don't hate Faunus just because one happened to cut my arm off." Ilia breathed a sigh of relief. "By the way, who's Rigel?" "Oh," Yang said, blushing, "Just a boy from Atlas... Who I happened to have hooked up with." She smirked. "And who also happens to be a Faunus, by the way." Ilia had a blank look, both her skin and hair turning pure white. "I really should have spent more time away from Menagerie." This caused Yang to laugh hard. The mirth proved contagious, as Ilia soon found herself laughing as well.

To be continued...

 **Not much action in this chapter. And for once, Team JNPR doesn't make an appearance. Don't worry, you'll see them next chapter. Read and review.**


	42. Chapter 42: Streets of Mistral

**Well, I said I'd make up for Team JNPR not being shown last chapter, so here they are right out of the gate for this chapter. Also, we finally get to see the real Team MACE. Disclaimer: I don't RWBY, Devil May Cry, Sailor Moon, Kid Icarus, Future Card Buddyfight, or Danganronpa.**

Chapter 42: Streets of Mistral

Team JNPR was walking through the city, taking some time off from Pyrrha's crazy family. As it turned out, Pyrrha was the mellow one of the clan. As they walked through the streets, Jaune seemed deep in thought. "You guys ever get the feeling an event in your life got passed over for someone reading a story or watching a video?" "To be fair," Nora quipped, "Most of it was just you practicing your violin. I know you take it seriously, but some people would find it boring." Jaune shrugged. "I can understand that. But what about my epic fight with Pyrrha's sisters?" Ren looked over to the two of them. "He did pretty much mop the floor with them."

Pyrrha giggled. "And the look on Mom's face was priceless. But where did the original question come from anyway?" "No idea," Jaune said, "Just popped in out of nowhere." They took lunch at a diner, not too far away from another group of students. "Oh," one of the girls said, "Hey there, aren't you Team JNPR from Vale?" "That's us," Nora asked. The girl smiled. "I'm Mikan Tsumiki, leader of Team MACE." "The real Team MACE, I'm assuming," Ren noted, remembering how Cinder had appropriated the name for her own purpose. Mikan nodded, and her teammates introduced themselves. First was a male fox Faunus, his tail clearly visible. "I'm Ace McCloud."

Next was another fox Faunus, this one female with light blue ears. "I'm his girlfriend, Cerea Krystal." Last was a female lizard Faunus. "Elegen Hina." Team JNPR introduced themselves and the two teams got to talking. "We were sent on a last minute mission, causing us to miss the tournament," Elegen explained, "Imagine our confusion and anger when another group entered the tournament using our team name. And we were so sure Team AGLE would be sent in our place." That got Jaune raising an eyebrow. "Isn't it against regulations for teams qualified for the tournament to be sent on missions that could cause them to miss it?"

"Yeah," Ace said, "Our former headmaster resigned, confessing to being part of the organization behind the Battle of Beacon. He scrambled Haven's mainframe to disguise the fact that a fake team was being sent in our place and we were being sent on a last-minute mission. He's speaking with the Mistral council about what he knows as we speak." Hearing this, JNPR huddled up. "I thought the academy heads were supposed to part of the organization helping Remnant," Nora whispered. "A double-agent perhaps?," Ren suggested, "The fact that Mikan and her friends are still here might mean the mission was legitimate."

Suddenly, Jaune's eyes narrowed as he looked up and down both ends of the street the diner was on. "What's up?," Cerea asked. "I just felt something," Jaune said as he and his team broke huddle, "Like there's danger nearby, but dormant, not yet directed at anything." Suddenly the entire group was alert and looking around. Looking up, Ren spotted two men talking to each other on the diner's balcony, one of whom was triggering his Semblance. "Cerea," he said, "Can you hear what they're saying?" Cerea nodded and began listening in.

* * *

And a good thing too, because the duo in question was Nephrite, accompanied by Tyrian. "Alright," Tyrian said, "We need to do some work on your cover-story." "What's to work on?," Nephrite said as he enjoyed his drink, "The story is that I'm from a village on the outskirts of the continent, here to visit the big city." Tyrian sighed, frustrated. "You really need to understand Remnant before considering your cover. Here's the deal, no one from the villages travels outside of their walls, least of all to the major cities, unless it is for exodus. The presence of the Grimm makes a casual trip too dangerous unless you're a Huntsman."

"I was under the impression traveling between the kingdoms was common," Nephrite argued. "Yeah," Tyrian said, "Between the _kingdoms_ , not individual settlements. Travel usually only happens between the major cities, where technology to provide such safe travel exists. The outer lands often can't afford such luxuries. You offer your pathetic cover story to anyone, they'll ask which settlement. And authorities know the name of every settlement that exists. Say a false name and they'll know right away you're faking. Say one that exists and they'll immediately send an investigation to find out what destroyed it. How mad do you think they'd be that their time was wasted?"

"We could always destroy said settlement," Nephrite offered, "Even now it wouldn't waste too much energy." "Nice try," Tyrian said with a chuckle, "But even the most ancient of Grimm need at least a day to wipe out a colony, and even then there would be signs of the attack. A sudden, violent, disappearance leaving no trace would raise eyebrows. And before you say it would get fingers pointing, let me be frank in that the fingers would be pointed at you. No, your best chance is to claim to be a Huntsman traveling here from another kingdom."

Nephrite scoffed. "Surely all Huntsmen and Huntresses are registered upon graduation." "But it's all too easy to fake," Tyrian noted, "Especially since we have one or two agents still in a position to do so. Look, I was asked by Lady Salem to keep you active as long as possible, and I would sooner jump down the maw of a Griffon than have you exposed and hunted down just because you put no thought into your cover. I don't know what sort of security they have on this planet you call Earth, but guaranteed Remnant takes it far more seriously, especially after the Battle of Beacon."

* * *

Back on the lower level, the two teams looked at each other. "We got word of a new threat attacking Vale a few hours ago," Pyrrha said. "It's been happening here is Mistral too," Cerea noted, "Strange creatures trying to use altered objects to drain Aura from people. We've been busy for the better part of a week." Jaune looked up at the duo. "At least one of that duo has to be involved. Ozpin's already having help sent in, something about the enemy focusing on Mistral for a certain event. I think we should hurry to our destination."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ruby and her group finally arrived at Solitas Transfer, where they would be taking a plane to Atlas proper. Ilia shivered a little in the colder environment. "Colder than I'm used to," she admitted, "But that's the benefit of only being half-chameleon. I'm still warm-blooded." Near the plane, Weiss spotted a few familiar faces. It was Flynt from Team FNKI, and Junko from Team JINX, along with their teammates. "Dare I ask what this is all about?," Weiss asked.

"Just a safety in numbers thing," Flynt explained, "I'm sure you've heard of the mysterious new faction that seems to be attacking all the kingdoms." "Yeah," Ruby noted, "Guess we'll be running into them now that we've re-entered one." Flynt nodded, then smiled. "Anyway, I don't think you've had the chance to meet my full team. You already know Neon." The hyper-active cat Faunus was waving. Next to her was a green-clad young man with noticeable chain mail under his tunic. Strapped to his belt was an ornate sword with noticeable weapon lines. "This is Ian Error," Flynt noted, then he pointed to the last guy, polishing a semi-automatic machine gun. "And that's Koad Nami."

Junko came up alongside Ibuki and two guys, both of them rather huge. One of them was a rhino Faunus like Lionel, but with noticeable gray skin instead of Lionel's horned nose. "Hey guys," Junko said, "I don't think we've really met. Well except for the crazy beatdown Team SLVR gave us." She introduced Xander Rayne, the rhino Faunus, and Nekomaru Nidai, along with Ibuki and herself. As the entire group got on the plane, Ibuki asked, "Shouldn't there be one more team?" "Team JNPR had an errand to run in Mistral," Ruby explained, "They'll join us in time for the concert." With everyone on board, the plane took off for Atlas.

To be continued...

 **In case you're curious, there's a certain aspect to Jaune's character I decided to add in. You'll see it soon enough. Until then, read and review.**


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